Overview
- Election Commission figures show 65.09% turnout in phase 1 across 121 seats, the highest in the state’s assembly polling history.
- At rallies in Sitamarhi and Bettiah, the Prime Minister warned against a return to ‘jungle raj’ and urged voters to surpass the first-phase turnout on November 11.
- Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Purnea and projected an NDA tally of over 160 seats, while pressing the law-and-order plank in constituencies voting in phase 2.
- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge rejected the NDA’s seat claims and questioned the ‘double-engine’ record, saying the outcome rests with voters.
- The campaign has also spotlighted a slate of retired civil servants contesting seats, including ex-IPS officer Shivdeep Lande running in Jamalpur and Araria, the latter voting in phase 2.