Overview
- Voting covers 121 constituencies across 18 districts, with more than 3.75 crore electors at roughly 45,000 polling stations deciding the fate of about 1,314 candidates.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the NDA push with eight rallies, a Patna roadshow and virtual outreach, as Amit Shah, JP Nadda and other BJP chiefs fanned out; Rahul Gandhi held seven meetings alongside Tejashwi Yadav’s statewide tour.
- Law-and-order concerns escalated after Jan Suraaj supporter Dular Chand Yadav was killed in Mokama, leading to JD(U) candidate Anant Singh’s arrest and 14-day judicial custody, an FIR against Union minister Lalan Singh over a viral remark, and an Election Commission query to the DGP.
- Competing manifestos dominate the pitch: the NDA’s 69-page plan promises a major jobs and infrastructure push with women’s empowerment schemes, while the INDIA bloc pledges a job-per-household law within 20 days and Rs 2,500 monthly to women with an announced Rs 30,000 upfront transfer.
- High-profile contests include Raghopur (Tejashwi Yadav), Mahua (Tej Pratap Yadav), Tarapur (Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary), Alinagar (Maithili Thakur), Lakhisarai (Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha) and Mokama, with Jan Suraaj positioning itself as a third option in select seats.