Stage Set For High-Stakes Bihar Battle With Phase 1 Voting: Key Seats, Candidates, Other Details

Key contenders include Tejashwi Yadav, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, Tejashwi's brother Tej Pratap Yadav and several ministers. Celebrities like Khesari Lal Yadav and Maithili Thakur are also in the fray.

The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will be held across 121 seats in 18 districts, with 3.75 crore voters deciding the fate of 1,314 candidates.

Source : PTI

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Bihar Elections 2025: The much-awaited high-stakes battle of the year is all set to take place on Thursday with first phase of voting for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly. Votes will be polled for 121 seats in the first phase across 18 districts in the state. 

The voting on Thursday will be held in districts including capital city Patna (14), Bhojpur (7), Buxar (4), Gopalganj (6), Siwan (8), Saran (10), Muzaffaropur (11), Vaishali (8), Darbhanga (10), Samastipur (10), Madhepura (4), Saharsa (4), Khagaria (7), Munger (3), Lakisarai (2), Shekhpura (2), Nalanda (7), and Begaurai (7). 

A total of 3.75 crore voters will seal the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, including big names like INDIA bloc's chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.

Yadav, who aims to score a hat-trick from the Raghopur seat will face Satish Kumar of the BJP, who  had defeated his mother Rabri Devi in 2010 while contesting on a JD(U) symbol.

All eyes will also be on Prashant Kishor's Jan Swaraaj Party, which will make its electoral debut in this assembly polls. While a high-voltage drama was being awaited with Kishor expected to contest from this seat, however, he fielded a less fancied candidate Chanchal Singh. 

Bihar Elections Phase 1 Voting: In Numbers

• Voting for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will take place tomorrow across 121 constituencies in 18 districts.
• Authorities have implemented comprehensive security measures to ensure the polling process remains free, fair, and peaceful.
• Polling will begin at 7 a.m. and continue until 6 p.m., though the closing time will be 5 p.m. in certain areas due to security concerns.
• The revised timing applies to Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur, Munger, Jamalpur, and 56 polling booths in the Suryagarha Assembly segment.
• In this phase, the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates will be determined by over 3.75 crore voters.
• The contest includes 122 women candidates and one transgender candidate, Priti Kinnar, representing the Jan Suraj Party from the Bhorey constituency in Gopalganj district.
• Within the NDA alliance, the JD(U) is contesting 57 seats, the BJP is contesting 48, LJP (Ram Vilas) has 14, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha is contesting 2 seats.
• On the Mahagathbandhan side, the RJD has fielded 73 candidates, followed by 24 from Congress and 14 from the CPI(ML) in this first phase.

Bihar Elections Phase 1 Voting: Key Seats, Candidates 

• Tejashwi Yadav is eyeing a third consecutive win from Raghopur, where his main rival is Satish Kumar of the BJP, who had earlier defeated Tejashwi’s mother Rabri Devi in 2010 while contesting under the JD(U) banner.
• In Mahua, Tejashwi’s elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, now leading his own party, the Janshakti Janata Dal, faces a multi-cornered contest.
• Tej Pratap aims to reclaim the seat from RJD MLA Mukesh Raushan, but faces tough competition from Sanjay Singh of LJP (Ram Vilas) representing the NDA, and Independent candidate Ashma Parveen, who was the runner-up in 2020.
• Several ministers in the Nitish Kumar government, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, will also see their electoral fortunes decided in the first phase.
• Vijay Kumar Sinha seeks to retain Lakhisarai for a fourth straight term, fending off challenges from Amresh Kumar (Congress) and Suraj Kumar (Jan Suraaj Party).
• Samrat Choudhary, currently serving his second consecutive term in the legislative council, is contesting a direct election after nearly a decade from Tarapur.
• The former BJP state president faces a close contest against RJD’s Arun Kumar Sah, who had lost the same seat in 2020 by about 5,000 votes.
• Another key face, Mangal Pandey, minister and former BJP state chief, is contesting from Siwan, marking his first-ever Assembly election.
• The Raghunathpur seat has drawn attention due to Osama Shahab, the 31-year-old son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohd Shahabuddin, a long-time Siwan MP once dubbed the “uncrowned king” of the region.
• The NDA has seized upon Osama’s candidature as evidence of the RJD’s alleged return to “jungle raj”, with BJP leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma remarking that his name evokes Osama Bin Laden.
• Other noteworthy contestants include folk singer Maithili Thakur (BJP – Aliganj), and Bhojpuri cinema stars Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD – Chhapra) and Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraaj Party – Kargahar), whose performances are expected to be closely watched.