Bihar Election 2025 Phase 1 Begins: PM Modi Urges ‘Pehle Matdan, Phir Jalpan’

As voting begins in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens, particularly first-time voters, to exercise their franchise with full enthusiasm.

In an X post, PM Modi wrote, "Today marks the first phase of the festival of democracy in Bihar. My appeal to all voters in this phase is to vote with complete enthusiasm. Special congratulations to all young voters casting their vote for the first time. Remember-first voting, then refreshments! (pehle matadan, phir jalpan)."

Voting is underway across 121 Assembly constituencies in the first phase, where 3.75 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,314 candidates, including prominent leaders like the INDIA bloc's chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of the BJP. Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm across 18 districts, with central forces deployed at sensitive polling stations to ensure free and fair elections.
The Bihar Assembly elections see a direct contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan.

The NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha, while the Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal, comprises the Congress Party, CPI-ML led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, CPI, CPM, and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).

The second phase of polling for the remaining 122 constituencies will take place on November 11, with vote counting scheduled for November 14.