Overview
- Polling will be held on November 11 across 122 constituencies in 20 districts, with counting on November 14.
- The first phase on November 6 saw roughly 65% turnout, one of the highest in the state’s electoral history.
- Top leaders mounted a final push, with Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav crisscrossing the state and trading charges such as an ‘infiltrator corridor’ versus ‘vote chori’.
- Bihar DGP Binay Kumar announced deployment of 150 additional central force companies, tighter vigilance than the first phase and sealing of borders with Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
- The phase will decide the fate of 1,302 candidates as over 3.7 crore voters cast ballots at 45,399 booths, and with the NDA having won 70 of these seats in 2020 the ruling alliance carries greater defensive stakes.