Patna, Nov 6: Voting began Thursday morning across 121 constituencies in Bihar in the first phase of Assembly elections, with polling scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. amid tight security arrangements, an election official said.
In this crucial phase, more than 3.75 crore voters will decide the political fate of 1,314 candidates, including several key figures such as Tejashwi Yadav, the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial face, and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.
Yadav, seeking a third consecutive win from Raghopur, faces a contest from Satish Kumar of the BJP, who earlier defeated Yadav’s mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi in 2010 while contesting on a JD(U) ticket.
The Raghopur constituency had drawn additional attention after Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor initially declared he would challenge Yadav on his home turf. Kishor later withdrew from the fray, and his party instead fielded Chanchal Singh, a relatively new face.
In neighboring Mahua, Yadav’s elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, now heading his breakaway outfit Janshakti Janata Dal, is locked in a multi-cornered battle. He aims to wrest the seat from sitting RJD MLA Mukesh Raushan, while Sanjay Singh of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), representing the NDA, and Independent Ashma Parveen, the 2020 runner-up, add to the contest’s complexity.
Several senior members of the Nitish Kumar government, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, are also contesting in this phase, making it a politically charged opening round for the state.
Officials said polling was proceeding peacefully in most areas as of mid-morning, with security forces deployed in sensitive zones to ensure a smooth electoral process.
