Voting will begin at 7 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. (4 p.m. in sensitive booths). The Election Commission has deployed more than four lakh security personnel, including 1,500 CAPF companies and 60,000 Bihar Police officers, to ensure peaceful polling.

Key contenders include Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary (BJP), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Tej Pratap Yadav (Janshakti Janata Dal), Vijay Kumar Sinha (BJP), and strongman Anant Singh (JDU). The poll battle also features celebrity candidatessinger Maithili Thakur (BJP), Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD), and Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraj) adding glamour to the political contest.

The first phase spans politically crucial regions such as Patna, Darbhanga, Munger, and Muzaffarpur, considered bellwethers in Bihar’s electoral map. NDA parties are contesting 121 seats among themselves JDU on 57, BJP 48, LJP (Ram Vilas) 13, RLM 2, and HAM 1. The Grand Alliance has fielded RJD on 72, Congress 24, CPI(ML) 14, and smaller allies on the rest.

According to affidavits, 73% of candidates are millionaires, while 32% face criminal cases, including charges of murder and crimes against women. Women’s representation remains limited at just 9%.

With several heavyweight battles including Raghopur, Mahua, Mokama, and Tarapur ,the first phase is expected to set the tone for Bihar’s high-stakes political contest. Results will be declared on November 14.