November 10, 2025
PATNA – The campaigning for the second and final phase of the Bihar Assembly elections came to an end on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, November 11, over 3.7 crore voters will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 1,302 candidates.
The second phase of the elections will see voting on 122 assembly seats across 20 districts. Of these, 101 are general seats, 19 are reserved for Scheduled Castes, and two for Scheduled Tribes.
A total of 45,399 polling booths have been set up, including 595 managed by women, 91 by differently-abled persons, and 316 model booths. All booths in this phase will have webcasting facilities to ensure a free and transparent election.
In this phase, young voters appear to be playing a decisive role. There are 84.8 lakh voters aged 18-29 years and about 1.04 crore voters are aged 30-40, who are expected to significantly influence the direction of the election. The 7.69 lakh first-time voters, considered “floating voters,” could alter the outcome in several seats.
In the final stage of campaigning, political leaders made vigorous efforts to sway public opinion in their favour. The exchange of allegations and promises further intensified the electoral atmosphere.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar highlighted his government’s achievements and promised to complete pending works, urging voters not to support those who, he said, “did nothing before 2005.” The NDA accused the RJD and Congress of giving Bihar the image of “jungle raj.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other senior BJP leaders, while addressing rallies, listed the scams linked to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and praised Nitish Kumar, saying he has remained spotless for 20 years.
On the other hand, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the chief ministerial face of the INDIA bloc, held a series of rallies in an attempt to turn public opinion in his favour. Rahul Gandhi’s campaign was focused on ‘vote theft’ charges against the BJP and the Election Commission.
In this phase, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s reputation is at stake, as it is contesting 71 seats, the most among all parties. Meanwhile, in six constituencies, the INDIA bloc allies are facing each other — Chainpur (Kaimur), Kargahar (Sasaram), Narkatiaganj (West Champaran), Sikandra (Jamui), Kahalgaon, and Sultanganj (Bhagalpur).
The highest number of 22 candidates are contesting in three constituencies, namely Chainpur (Kaimur), Sasaram (Rohtas), and Gaya Town. On the other hand, Lauriya, Chanpatia, Raxaul, Sugauli, Triveniganj, and Banmankhi have only five candidates each in the fray. Consequently, while some seats may see a direct contest, others are set for multi-cornered battles.
Administrative preparations for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled for Tuesday, are in full swing. The Indo-Nepal border has been sealed and will remain closed until the conclusion of voting on Tuesday.
To ensure peace and fairness during the election process, security arrangements have been significantly strengthened. Special armed mounted units have been deployed to keep a close watch on counting centres and sensitive areas.
Administrative officials have made it clear that any form of disturbance or disorder during voting or counting will not be tolerated. All security teams remain on high alert and are fully committed to maintaining a peaceful and impartial environment.
A record 64.66 per cent of voters took part in the first phase of polling on November 6. The counting will take place on November 14.