Overview
- Polling opens Thursday for 121 seats across 18 districts, with about 37 million voters choosing among 1,314 candidates; Phase 2 is on November 11 and counting is on November 14.
- A high-intensity blitz featured Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Nitish Kumar, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, with final-day outreach focused on mobilising women voters.
- The NDA manifesto promises over one crore jobs and major infrastructure including new expressways, metro expansions and airports, while the opposition pledges a job-per-household law, Rs 2,500 monthly transfers to women and free electricity.
- A key flashpoint emerged in Mokama where Jan Suraaj supporter Dularchand Yadav was killed; JD(U) candidate Anant Singh was arrested and remanded, and the Election Commission sought a report from the state DGP.
- Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj is contesting as a third option, with Kishor not entering the fray himself and instead campaigning for his party’s candidates.