Patna: Bihar records 13.13% voter turnout in the first two hours of Assembly polls, signaling an energetic start to the state’s much-anticipated elections. Polling began at 7 a.m. across 121 constituencies spread over 18 districts and will continue till 6 p.m., the Election Commission of India (ECI) said.
According to the ECI, Saharsa led the polling charts with 15.27%, followed by Begusarai (14.60%), Muzaffarpur (14.38%), Vaishali (14.30%), and Khagaria (14.15%). The consistent turnout reflects the active participation of citizens in shaping Bihar’s political future.
Other districts like Madhepura (13.74%), Siwan (13.35%), Bhojpur (13.11%), and Patna (11.22%) also reported healthy voting numbers early in the day. The first phase covers 1,314 candidates 1,192 men and 122 women vying for a place in the Bihar Assembly.
A total of 3.75 crore voters are eligible to cast their vote, with 45,341 polling stations set up across the state. Among these, 36,733 are in rural areas, while 8,608 are in urban regions. Bihar records 13.13% voter turnout in the first two hours of Assembly polls, showing encouraging participation in both urban and rural belts.
Special arrangements include 320 model booths, 926 women-managed polling stations, and 107 booths managed by persons with disabilities. All polling stations are under live webcasting for transparency.
Security has been tightened across the state, with over 15 battalions of paramilitary and police forces ensuring smooth voting. In Naxal-affected areas, voting will close an hour earlier at 5 p.m.
As Bihar heads into the first phase, the early numbers hint at a high-stakes election season with voters responding enthusiastically to the call of democracy.
–IANS
