Patna DSP Anu Kumari inspects polling booth and other arrangements in Patna

PATNA:As voting for the first phase of the Bihar elections is under way, Patna’s Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Anu Kumari, examined the polling place and other arrangements on Thursday.

According to Kumari, the polling is going well and the administration and police are helping the public.

“The police and the administration are assisting the public, and the polling is taking place smoothly. There are no issues anywhere… Any kind of minor inconvenience is being met immediately,” she said.

Bihar recorded a voter turnout of 27.65 per cent in the first four hours of the first phase of assembly elections, according to the data of the Election Commission of India.

The Begusarai district recorded the highest turnout of 30.37 per cent, while Patna, the capital of the state, recorded a slow turnout of 23.71 per cent till 11 am.

Lakhisarai, which earlier recorded a sluggish turnout at 9 am, has now recorded a turnout of 30.32 per cent till 11 am.

Gopalganj district has recorded a voter turnout of 30.04 per cent, followed by 28.02 per cent in Buxar, 26.76 per cent in Bhojpur, 26.07 per cent in Darbhanga, 28.96 per cent in Khagaria, 28.46 per cent in Madhepura, 26.68 per cent in Munger, 29.66 per cent in Muzaffarpur, 26.86 per cent in Nalanda, 29.68 per cent in Saharsa, 27.92 per cent in Samastipur, 28.52 per cent in Saran, 26.04 per cent in Sheikhpura, 27.09 per cent in Siwan and 28.67 per cent in Vaishali – all as of 11 am.

In the Munger district, voting is taking place for the first time after 20 years in the Naxal-affected area of Bhimband. Locals expressed their joy after getting a chance to vote after 20 years.

Voting for the first phase of the 2025 Assembly elections in Bihar began at 7:00 am across 121 constituencies in 18 districts, covering the state’s 243 seats, with approximately 3.75 crore electors casting their ballots.

Polling will conclude at 6 pm; however, due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5 pm in some constituencies.

#WATCH | Patna, Bihar | Patna DSP Anu Kumari says, “The police and the administration are assisting the public, and the polling is taking place smoothly. There are no issues anywhere… Any kind of minor inconvenience is being met immediately…” https://t.co/LbRSJCTkdB pic.twitter.com/Elt6x2CT5a

— ANI (@ANI) November 6, 2025

According to the Election Commission, there are 10.72 lakh ‘new electors’, and 7.78 lakh voters are in the 18-19 years age group.

The total population of these constituencies, as stated by the Election Commission, is 6.60 crore.

A total of 122 women candidates are in the fray in the first phase of the polls. Jan Suraj Party fielded 119 candidates in this phase. Within NDA, JD(U) is contesting 57 seats, followed by BJP on 48 and LJP (Ram Vilas) on 14.

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, polling took place in three phases.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 125 seats, while the opposition won 110. Among the major parties, the Janata Dal (United) secured 43 seats, while the Congress secured 19. The JD(U) contested 115 constituencies, and the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70. (ANI)