Bihar witnessed a landmark moment in its electoral history on Thursday as the first phase of the 2025 Assembly elections recorded its highest voter turnout in over a decade. A remarkable 64.69% of voters participated across 121 constituencies, signaling a significant increase in civic engagement. This figure surpasses both the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by 9.3 percentage points and the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections by 8.8 percentage points.
This elevated turnout is the highest recorded in Bihar for any state or national election since 2010. While the state recently completed a special intensive revision (SIR) of its electoral rolls, resulting in the removal of 3.07 million names overall, this did not appear to deter voters. In the 121 constituencies that went to polls, 1.53 million electors were deleted, yet voter turnout was robust.
Approximately 24.3 million voters exercised their franchise, an increase from the 21.55 million who voted in these areas during the 2024 general elections. This suggests that the cleansing of electoral rolls likely removed inactive or duplicate registrations, rather than dissuading active voters. Historical trends indicate that voter participation has grown consistently, and this year’s surge aligns with past patterns, even with a slower growth rate in the total number of registered electors. Political observers posit that the deleted names primarily belonged to individuals who had migrated or were registered in multiple places, often those with historically low voting rates. The substantial turnout underscores the electorate’s enthusiasm, setting an optimistic tone for the remainder of the Bihar elections.