Bihar Elections Phase 1: 54% Voter Turnout Till 3 PM; Deputy CM Alleges Attack, Lalu Prasad Calls for Change

Patna : Polling for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections took place on Thursday across 121 constituencies, with 53.77% voter turnout recorded till 3 p.m. Around 3.75 crore voters are deciding the fate of over 1,000 candidates in this phase.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha alleged that his convoy was attacked by RJD supporters in his home district Lakhisarai, claiming they tried to intimidate voters from extremely backward communities.
The stakes are high for both the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc, as key leaders are contesting in this phase, including RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and several ministers from the Nitish Kumar government.
This phase is also crucial for smaller allies in both camps. The CPI(ML), contesting 20 seats, holds six of them, while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) is contesting 10 out of 29 seats in this round, though it currently holds only one.
Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav posted a symbolic message on social media calling for a “change of guard,” expressing hope that his son Tejashwi Yadav would lead the next government.
Polling remained largely peaceful, with isolated incidents reported. Counting of votes will take place after completion of all phases.