Bihar Election 2025 Phase 1: Key Battles, Big Names And High Stakes

The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began on Thursday. Over 3.75 crore voters are deciding the fate of candidates in 121 constituencies out of the total 243 seats.

The initial phase is significant, especially for the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, which had won 63 of these seats in the 2020 polls.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP and the Janata Dal(United), had secured 55 seats in the same constituencies.

According to the ECI, voting will take place at 45,341 polling stations, with 36,733 of them located in rural areas. Among the 3.75 crore registered voters, 10.72 lakh are first-time voters, while 7.38 lakh fall within the 18-19 age group.

Within the NDA, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, is contesting 29 seats across Bihar. Interestingly, the NDA currently holds only one of these ten seats.

The Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) contests 15 seats, six in phase one, as Mukesh Sahani aims for the Deputy CM post in the alliance.

Tejashwi Yadav will contest alongside more than a dozen ministers from the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government. Among them are Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.

Notably, Choudhary is fighting a direct election after nearly 10 years, from Tarapur. Mangal Pandey, a former Bihar BJP president and current minister, is contesting his first Assembly election from Siwan.

This phase also features several celebrities and public figures, adding glamour to the political fight.

Young folk singer Maithili Thakur is contesting on a BJP ticket from Alinagar. While Bhojpuri cinema star Khesari Lal Yadav represents the RJD in Chhapra.

Additionally, another subplot of this phase involves Tejashwi Yadav’s elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, who has launched his own party, the Janshakti Janata Dal.

In Mokama, JD(U)’s Anant Singh, currently under arrest in connection with a murder case, faces Veena Devi of the RJD

Moreover, in Raghunathpur, Osama Shahab, son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, is contesting on an RJD ticket.

All eyes will be on whether the Opposition can retain its strongholds from 2020 or if the ruling alliance manages to regain lost ground.

Also Read: ‘Festival Of Democracy’ Begins In Bihar, Says PM Modi