Overview
- Polling runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. across 122 constituencies in about 20 districts, with 1,302 candidates in the fray, including roughly a dozen cabinet ministers.
- The Election Commission reported 14.55% turnout by 9 a.m. and 31.38% by 11 a.m., with Kishanganj, Gaya and Jamui among the highest early performers.
- About 3.70 crore electors are eligible to vote at 45,399 polling stations, where EVMs/VVPATs and full webcasting have been deployed.
- Security chiefs said around 4 lakh personnel and 1,625 companies of Central Armed Police Forces are on duty, with border checkpoints tightened in sensitive areas.
- Seemanchal seats add outsized significance for both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan, as opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav publicly questioned EC transparency and force deployment while officials maintained polling oversight.