First phase of Bihar polls on November 6 will decide the fate of big leaders and small parties

Over 3.75 crore voters in Bihar will cast their ballots in the first phase of the Assembly election on Thursday (November 6, 2025), covering 121 of the State’s 243 constituencies. This phase is particularly significant for the Opposition Mahagatbandhan, which had secured 63 of these seats in the 2020 election. The ruling BJP and Janata Dal (United) together had won 55.

The first phase contests are also crucial for the smaller parties in both coalitions. Ten of the 20 seats where the CPI(ML) has fielded a candidate will go to the polls in this phase, of which the party holds six seats. The CPI(ML) had one of the best strike rates in the 2020 election and to maintain their record, they will have to retain these seats.

In the ruling NDA, 10 of the 29 seats that the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) is contesting are in the first phase. The NDA currently holds only one of these ten seats. The LJP(RV)’s seat share had sparked discontent among NDA allies, particularly the Janata Dal (United), who argued that the party’s allocation was disproportionate given its lack of representation in the Assembly.

This phase will also reveal whether the Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) is able to pull its own weight in the Opposition alliance. The electoral fate of six of the 15 seats it is contesting will be decided on Thursday (November 6, 2025). The Mahagatbandhan has named VIP president Mukesh Sahani as its Deputy Chief Ministerial candidate.

Top leaders, celebs in fray

Several top leaders are in fray in this phase, including the Opposition’s Chief Ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav and over a dozen BJP and JD(U) Ministers in the Nitish Kumar government, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha. Mr. Choudhary is contesting a direct election after about a decade from Tarapur. Former Bihar BJP chief and State Minister Mangal Pandey is also contesting his first Assembly election from Siwan.

This phase will also test the electoral appeal of celebrities. Young folk singer Maithili Thakur (BJP-Aliganj), and Bhojpuri superstars Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD-Chhapra) and Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraaj Party – Kargahar) are contesting in the first phase.

Seats to watch

While the RJD succession battle has long been settled in favour of Mr. Tejashwi Yadav, this phase will also decide whether his estranged elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, who floated his own outfit, the Janshakti Janata Dal, will be able to mount a challenge. He is contesting from the Mahua Assembly seat. 

Two other seats that are being closely watched are Mokama and Raghunathpur. In Mokama, the JD(U)’s Anant Singh, recently arrested in connection with the murder of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter, is up against the RJD’s Veena Devi, wife of Suraj Bhan, who also faces multiple criminal charges.

In Raghunathpur, Osama Shahab, the 31-year-old son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohd Shahabuddin, is contesting on an RJD ticket.

Voting will take place at 45,341 polling stations, an overwhelming majority of which (36,733) fall in rural areas. According to the Election Commission, of the 3.75 crore voters in the 121 constituencies, 10.72 lakh were “new electors”. The number of voters in the age group of 18-19 years, though, was 7.38 lakh.