Implications of record turnout of 64.66% in Bihar Phase 1 election

Bihar’s first phase of voting concluded on Thursday with a turnout of 64.66%, marking the highest-ever participation in the state for an assembly election, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The polling covered 121 constituencies across 18 districts and engaged an electorate of approximately 3.75 crore.

Polling was described by election officials as largely peaceful, aided by complete live-webcast oversight at polling stations for the first time under the SIR (Special Summary Revision) of electoral rolls.

Voting surge, regional patterns

District-wise data reveal that rural and semi-rural areas reported exceptionally high voter participation, with Minapur in Muzaffarpur district exceeding 73% turnout. Urban centres lagged: Patna reported turnout significantly below the state average.

This surge follows aggressive roll-cleaning efforts before the election, including removal of lakhs of dubious entries in what the ECI termed a drive to improve roll integrity.

Polling officials reported fewer technical issues compared with the last assembly election in 2020, with EVM replacements below 2% overall.

Implications, caveats for next phase

A turnout this high can be interpreted in multiple ways. One possibility is an anti-incumbency wave, although the ruling alliance has defied that trend in recent cycles. Another factor may be improved roll accuracy: if bogus entries have been removed, the official participation percentage rises even if actual voter numbers remain stable. For example, if 20 out of 100 names on a roll were removed, a vote count of 50 becomes a 62.5% turnout rather than 50%.

Enhanced mobilisation by political parties, heightened citizen awareness and improvements in logistics may also have contributed to the surge. However, such a strong turnout in phase 1 will lose its significance if phase 2 sees a drop in participation — the present statistics should therefore be interpreted cautiously until the full election outcome is realised.

The next phase across the remaining seats will test whether this voter momentum persists or falls back, shaping the broader narrative for the state poll.