New Delhi: As voting began for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to turn out in large numbers and celebrate what he described as the “festival of democracy.” Emphasising civic duty, he reminded voters to “first vote, then have refreshments.”
The Prime Minister, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), appealed to all eligible voters—especially first-time participants—to cast their ballots with enthusiasm and responsibility. “Today marks the first phase of the festival of democracy in Bihar. I urge all voters in this phase to vote with full enthusiasm. My special congratulations to the young people of the state who are voting for the first time. Remember—first voting, then refreshments!” he wrote.
Polling is taking place in 121 constituencies across 18 districts, kicking off a high-stakes electoral contest in the state. Over 3.75 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,314 candidates, including 122 women. Voting began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m., though in sensitive areas such as Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur, Munger, Jamalpur, and parts of Suryagarha, polling will end an hour earlier for security reasons.
The Election Commission of India has implemented extensive measures to ensure free, fair, and transparent polling. All 45,324 polling stations are under 100 per cent webcasting for real-time monitoring. To oversee the process, 121 general observers, 18 police observers, and 33 expenditure observers have been deployed.
Security has been tightened with Central Armed Paramilitary Forces and state police personnel stationed across polling centers. In an effort to promote inclusivity, the ECI has set up 926 all-women-managed booths, 107 booths run by differently-abled staff, and 320 model polling stations equipped with enhanced voter facilities.
