Patna: The Bihar Assembly referendum is all set to uncork on Thursday, with voting scheduled for 121 seats wideness 18 districts. More than 3.75 crore voters will take part in the first leg of this high-stakes electoral battle. The main races is between the incumbent NDA, led by Senior Minister Nitish Kumar, and the INDIA alliance, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its face.
The fate of how many candidates is at stake?
A whopping 1,314 candidates are in the fray this time—including two sitting deputy senior ministers, 13 ministers, a murder-accused MLA, and a handful of public figures from entertainment. Officials have set up 45,000-plus polling booths, loaded with EVMs and VVPATs, to alimony the polling smooth and secure.
Who are the key players in this phase?
The BJP and the JDU together have fielded 15 sitting ministers in this first phase—10 from the BJP and five from the JDU. Among them, Deputy Senior Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha are running for re-election from Tarapur and Lakhisarai respectively, with both contests expected to be tight.
In the opposition camp, Tejashwi Yadav will squint to hold on to Raghopur for a third successive win. His older brother, Tej Pratap Yadav—now with the Janshakti Janata Dal—has shifted to Mahua this time. Prashant Kishor, who once said he’d rencontre Tejashwi, has backed yonder from the contest. Among the well-known names, folk singer Maithili Thakur is contesting for the BJP from Alinagar, while Khesari Lal Yadav—the popular Bhojpuri actor—is running for the RJD in Chhapra. Actor-turned-politician Ritesh Pandey is putting his weight overdue Jan Suraj in Karghar.
Where are the most heated contests?
In Raghopur, Tejashwi will squatter BJP’s Satish Kumar, who once famously defeated Rabri Devi. Tarapur is flipside seat to watch—Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary will try to shake off criticism and reuse voter trust without a decade without contesting directly. Lakhisarai is bracing for a three-cornered fight, with BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha facing challenges from both the Congress and Jan Suraj.
In Mohania, tempers are high. JDU’s Anand Singh—recently when in jail over a murder charge—will unpeace with RJD’s Veena Devi in a personal and political turf war. Some constituencies, like Kurhani and Muzaffarpur, are flooded with candidates, while others, like Bhor and Alauli, full-length only a handful.
How big is the young vote?
Out of the 3.75 crore voters eligible in this round, well-nigh 10.7 lakh will be tossing their vote for the first time, most of them under 20. Digha in Patna is the biggest seat in this phase, with 4.5 lakh voters, while Barbigha in Sheikhpura is the smallest. Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said staff have once been deployed wideness all polling centers and movement of EVM machines is now complete. Campaigning had its flashpoints—an AIMIM candidate’s violent remark versus Tejashwi stirred controversy—but the wardship says it’s fully geared up to maintain law and order.
Why does this phase matter so much?
The first phase is not just a curtain-raiser. It’s a stress test for both alliances. A setback for the ruling NDA—especially if any key ministers lose—will rattle their wayfarers going forward. A strong showing by the INDIA bloc, on the other hand, could requite Tejashwi’s leadership a serious push and turn the referendum narrative in his favor. With seasoned politicians, idealism wildcards, and candidates with criminal cases in the mix, Bihar once then is proving why its politics is as layered as it is unpredictable.
