Polling began today in the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections, with 121 of the state’s 243 constituencies voting. The fight spans key regions of Mithilanchal, Magadh, and Seemanchal, where the ruling NDA - led by chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy BJP’s Samrat Choudhary - faces the Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc) led by Tejashwi Yadav. Also in the fray are Tej Pratap Yadav, contesting under his new banner after breaking away from the RJD, and political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj is testing its electoral appeal as a third front.
Out of the total 1,314 candidates facing polls today, 122 are female and 1192 are male.Out of the total 3,75,13, 302 voters eligible to vote today, 1,98,35,325 are male, 1,76,77,219, are female, and 758 are third gender.A total of 7,37,765 are voters aged 18-19 years and 6,736 are voters aged over 100 years. Out of the total 45,341 polling stations, 36,733 are rural, 8,608 are urban, 320 are model polling stations, 926 are all women managed polling stations 107 are polling stations managed by people with disabilities.
The opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, which will be in a direct fight with the ruling NDA, comprises of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).: The National Democratic Alliance in Bihar comprises of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha.