Polling began on Monday in 121 assembly constituencies spread across 18 districts of Bihar in the first phase of the 2025 elections, marking the start of a closely fought contest between the ruling NDA and the opposition Mahagathbandhan led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
The first phase will decide the fate of several prominent leaders, including RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, his estranged brother Tej Pratap Yadav, and ministers from the Nitish Kumar government.
In 2020, the Mahagathbandhan had an edge in these constituencies, winning 63 seats to the NDA’s 55. This time, poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party is being seen as the unpredictable factor in a battle that could shape the course of Bihar’s political landscape.
Many of the seats voting today lie south of the Ganga, including the capital Patna, a region often considered a barometer of the state’s politics. Prominent among these are Raghopur, Mahua, and Tarapur all of which feature key political figures.
At Raghopur, Tejashwi Yadav is seeking a hat-trick win, facing BJP’s Satish Kumar, who had defeated his mother and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi in 2010. This time, Kumar is contesting on a JD(U) ticket.
In Mahua, Tejashwi’s elder brother and estranged sibling Tej Pratap Yadav is contesting against the sitting RJD MLA Mukesh Raushan, in what has become a battle of prestige after Tej Pratap’s expulsion from the party earlier this year.
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary is contesting from Tarapur, marking his return to assembly polls after nearly a decade.
His colleague and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha is hoping for a fourth consecutive win from Lakhisarai. Several other ministers are also in the fray, their political futures riding on this first phase of polling.
Bihar’s Health Minister and former state BJP president Mangal Pandey is making his assembly election debut from Siwan, where he faces RJD’s Awadh Chaudhary, a former Speaker of the state assembly.
Adding a cultural twist to the political landscape, folk singer Maithili Thakur, the BJP’s youngest candidate, is contesting from Alinagar, an RJD stronghold. Thakur hopes to leverage her popularity to win over the upper-caste Brahmin-dominated constituency.
Bhojpuri film stars have also entered the fray, with Khesari Lal Yadav contesting on an RJD ticket from Chhapra and Ritesh Pandey representing the Jan Suraaj Party in Kargahar.
The campaign phase was marked by sharp attacks and contrasting narratives. The RJD and Congress focused their campaign on unemployment, law and order, and alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was functioning as a “puppet” of the BJP.
The NDA, on the other hand, revived the “jungle raj” rhetoric to corner the RJD, warning voters of instability if the opposition alliance returns to power.
As with many Bihar elections, the shadow of bahubali politics looms large. Strongmen continue to dominate several constituencies, including Mohammad Shahabuddin’s son Osama Shahab, who is contesting from Raghunathpur on an RJD ticket, and JD(U)’s Anant Singh.
The Mokama seat has turned into a prestige battle after the murder of a Jan Suraaj supporter, with JD(U)’s Anant Singh currently in jail in connection with the case facing the wife of RJD leader and gangster Suraj Bhan.
Women voters, who have emerged as a decisive electoral force in recent years, are once again being courted with major promises. The NDA has offered a cash transfer of Rs 10,000 to women, while the opposition has countered with Tejashwi Yadav’s Rs 30,000 ‘Mai Bahin Maan Yojana’.
The elections are taking place amid controversy over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which led to the deletion of nearly 60 lakh voter names.
The opposition has accused the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise large sections of marginalised communities through the revision process.
As polling progresses across Bihar, all eyes remain on whether the Mahagathbandhan can retain its 2020 dominance or if the NDA, buoyed by Nitish Kumar’s alliance with the BJP, can reclaim lost ground.
With big names, political legacies, and regional strongmen all on the ballot, the first phase has set the tone for a fiercely contested election season in Bihar.
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