The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections kicked off with a historic surge in voter participation during the initial phase. Across 121 constituencies, a substantial 64.69% of eligible voters cast their ballots, setting a new benchmark for the state. This turnout significantly outpaces previous electoral events, jumping 9.3 percentage points above the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 8.8 percentage points above the 2020 state polls.
This achievement represents the highest voter turnout seen in Bihar since 2010. Experts are examining the impact of the recent special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which saw a net deletion of 3.07 million voters across the state. In the polling constituencies, 1.53 million names were removed, a 3.9% decrease.
However, the reduced electoral roll did not dampen voter enthusiasm. The number of actual voters who cast their votes, around 24.3 million, exceeded the 21.55 million recorded in these same constituencies during the 2024 general elections. This indicates that the administrative update to the voter list did not negatively affect the participation of active voters. Analysis of voter trends since 2010 reveals that while the growth in registered voters has slowed, the rate of voter participation remains strong and comparable to past election cycles. It is widely suggested that the majority of deletions during the SIR targeted individuals who had moved or were registered multiple times, often those who historically abstain from voting. The robust turnout in this first phase points to strong voter sentiment, with future phases expected to reveal further insights.