Bihar’s electoral landscape is buzzing with activity as the first phase of the 2025 Assembly elections saw an unprecedented voter turnout. In 121 out of the state’s 243 constituencies, citizens headed to the polls, resulting in a combined turnout of 64.69%. This figure represents a significant leap, exceeding turnout from both the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by 9.3 percentage points and the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections by 8.8 percentage points.
This remarkable participation marks the highest voter turnout recorded in Bihar for any state or national election since 2010, the earliest point for comparable constituency-level data. Political analysts are dissecting this surge, particularly in light of a recent special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls which led to the deletion of 3.07 million electors statewide. Within the 121 constituencies that voted, 1.53 million voters were removed from the rolls, a 3.9% reduction.
Despite these deletions, voter engagement appears undeterred. The total registered electors for these constituencies initially stood at 37.51 million, with approximately 24.3 million voters casting their ballots on Thursday. This turnout surpassed the 21.55 million who voted in the same constituencies during the 2024 general elections, suggesting that the SIR exercise did not diminish the pool of actively participating voters. Historical data from previous elections indicates voter growth rates that are consistent with this year’s surge, even as the growth in registered electors has slowed. Many observers believe deletions primarily affected inactive or duplicate registrations, rather than engaged voters.