Patna (Bihar) [India], November 7 (HBTV): Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Gunjyal on Thursday stated that the first phase of the assembly elections concluded peacefully, with the state recording a voter turnout of approximately 64.46 percent.
According to data from the Election Commission, the 2025 assembly elections registered the highest voter turnout since the 2000 assembly polls, which saw a turnout of 62.57 per cent.
Of the 45,341 polling booths in Bihar, the turnout figure of 64.46 percent is based on data from 41,943 booths. Gunjyal said that the final data will be available in due course.
Addressing a press conference, the CEO said that 3.75 crore voters were eligible to cast their votes in the first phase, including 1.98 crore men and 1.76 crore women. He noted that women voters enthusiastically exercised their right to vote.
Over two lakh senior citizens aged 85 and above participated in the first phase. The CEO informed that 8,608 polling booths were set up in urban areas, while 36,733 were in rural regions. Of the 1,314 candidates contesting the assembly polls, 1,192 were men and 122 were women.
Nearly 47,263 ballot units were used in the first phase, along with 45,341 control units and an equal number of VVPAT machines. The CEO stated that 165 ballot units, 169 control units, and 480 VVPATs were replaced during polling.
Gunjyal further said that 1.21 percent of EVMs were replaced in the first phase, compared to 1.87 percent in the 2020 assembly elections.
‘The first phase of voting for the Bihar Assembly elections has been successfully completed. Voting is still ongoing in some places, and we are updating data. The current voter turnout is 64.46 percent. The participation of women voters was very good. During the voting, 165 ballot units, 169 control units, and 480 VVPATs were replaced. This time, we had to replace 1.21 percent of the ballot units in the first phase, while in the 2020 Assembly elections, 1.87 percent of the EVMs were replaced. This means that we needed to replace fewer EVMs this time,’ Gunjyal said.
The CEO added that authorities successfully addressed all complaints received on polling day.
‘By the end of voting, 143 complaints were received, and all were resolved on time. Furthermore, all complaints received directly by phone were resolved promptly. Information about boycotts was also received from some polling stations, including polling station number 56 in the Brahmapur assembly constituency of Buxar district, polling stations 165 and 166 in the Fatuha constituency, and polling stations 1, 2, and 5 in Suryagarha, near Lakhisarai,’ he said.
‘No untoward incidents have been reported in the first phase of voting that concluded today. Voting was conducted peacefully and smoothly,’ he added.
The remaining 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase on November 11, while the counting of votes will take place on November 14.
(ANI)