Patna: Bihar marked the 16th National Voters’ Day on Sunday, with a state-level ceremony in Patna, where senior officials praised record voter participation in the 2025 legislative assembly elections and reaffirmed commitments to free and fair polls. The event, held at the Convention Building, was inaugurated by the Chief Secretary, Pratyaya Amrit, who lit the ceremonial lamp in the presence of senior election and administrative officials.
Participants, including citizens, political party representatives, media personnel and government staff, took an oath to uphold democratic values and to exercise the right to vote without fear or inducement. A video message from India’s Chief Election Commissioner was screened during the programme, which adopted the national theme: “My India, My Vote – I am India.”
Addressing the gathering, Amrit congratulated election officials, booth-level officers and voters for the successful conduct of the 2025 assembly polls and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. He said Bihar had made history by recording an overall voter turnout of 67.25% — the highest since the first general elections of 1950–51. Women’s participation stood at a striking 71.77%, compared with 62.73% among men, figures officials described as a landmark for inclusive democracy.
The additional Chief Electoral Officer, Prashant Kumar, highlighted a series of firsts in the recent elections, including webcasting at all polling stations, mobile phone deposit facilities, and GPS tracking of polling parties. He said there was no relocation of polling stations, no incidents of booth capture and no need for repolling anywhere in the state, crediting coordination between election authorities, political parties, voters and the media.
As part of the celebrations, 136 officers and employees were awarded certificates of appreciation and cash prizes for their contribution to election management and voter awareness. Awards were also presented for innovations in voter outreach, training, logistics and electoral roll revision, alongside honours for winners of slogan-writing and photography competitions. A coffee table book documenting key moments from the 2025 elections was released, accompanied by a video presentation and photo exhibition.National Voters’ Day is observed annually on 25 January to mark the founding of the Election Commission of India in 1950.
