The first phase of the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections concluded peacefully today, recording the highest-ever voter turnout in the state’s history — an impressive 64.66%. Polling across 121 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in 18 districts took place amid a festive atmosphere, with voters turning out in record numbers to exercise their democratic right.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), over 3.75 crore voters were eligible to cast their votes in this phase. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, closely monitored the polling process through live webcasting from 100% of polling stations — another first for Bihar.
Smooth Polling and Strong Monitoring
CEC Gyanesh Kumar personally interacted with presiding officers and district election officials from the ECI Control Room, ensuring smooth conduct of the elections across all 45,341 polling stations. Over 4 lakh polling staff reached their stations the previous night, and mock polls were completed before 7 a.m. to ensure timely commencement of voting.
For the first time, 16 international delegates from six countries — South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Belgium, and Colombia — observed the elections as part of the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP). The delegates praised the Bihar polls as among the most transparent, efficient, and participative elections they had witnessed globally.
Transparent and Timely Data Reporting
Presiding officers updated voter turnout data immediately after polling concluded, minimizing delays in real-time reporting. Voter turnout details are now available district-wise and constituency-wise on the ECINet App, ensuring complete transparency for the public.
