Campaigning for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections concluded on Tuesday. Voting for this phase will be held on November 6 in 121 assembly constituencies spread across 18 districts, with 1,314 candidates in the fray.
The remaining 122 constituencies will go to the polls on 11 November, with 1,302 candidates contesting. The results will be announced on 14 November.
Star campaigners of various political parties put in their full strength, holding rallies, public meetings, and roadshows to ensure the victory of their respective candidates.
The NDA leaders appealed to voters in the name of development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and to prevent the return of jungle raj. The INDIA bloc leaders, meanwhile, promised a government job for every family as their main poll plank, along with several other assurances.
The last day of campaigning was marked by RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s announcement of several election promises, including a lump-sum transfer of Rs 30,000 into the bank accounts of women on Makar Sankranti (14 January, 2026), reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), an additional bonus to farmers on paddy and wheat procurement, free electricity for irrigation, and an interest waiver on loans taken by Jeevika Didis.
Political analysts expect a closely fought contest between the two major alliances, the NDA led by BJP–JD(U) and the INDIA bloc led by the RJD–Congress, similar to the 2020 Assembly elections. In 2020, the NDA had won 125 seats, while the Opposition alliance secured over 110 seats, with just a 0.03% vote difference between them.
Among the political heavyweights contesting in the first phase are INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav from Raghopur, his brother Tej Pratap Yadav (Janshakti Janata Dal) from Mahua, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary from Tarapur, and the youngest candidate, BJP nominee Maithili Thakur from Alinagar.
In total, 16 ministers from the Nitish Kumar government are contesting in this phase, 11 from the BJP and five from the JD(U).
Prominent BJP candidates include Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Sinha from Lakhisarai and Samrat Choudhary, contesting for the first time from Tarapur in Munger district. Other key BJP names include Health Minister Mangal Pandey contesting from Siwan, Road Construction Minister Nitin Nabin from Bankipur, Patna, and Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Sanjay Saraogi from Darbhanga.
Among JD(U) candidates, Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary is contesting from Sarairanjan in Samastipur district, while Information and Public Relations Minister Maheshwar Hazari is in the fray from the reserved seat of Kalyanpur.
