Overview
- Polling began at 7 am across 18 districts and is scheduled to run through the evening under tight security for 1,314 candidates.
- The Election Commission set up 45,341 polling stations and listed 10.72 lakh new electors, with Patna’s Digha holding the highest voter count at about 4.58 lakh.
- Top contests feature RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav in Raghopur, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary in Tarapur, Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha in Lakhisarai, and Tej Pratap Yadav in Mahua.
- Mokama is in focus with JD(U) candidate Anant Kumar Singh contesting from jail in a killing case against RJD’s Veena Devi, while Osama Shahab’s candidature near Siwan has drawn sharp NDA attacks.
- Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj is contesting statewide, and a fresh ADR study flags high levels of declared criminal cases among candidates in Phase 2, intensifying the integrity debate ahead of November 11.