Election Commission announces Bihar polls in two phases, counting on Nov 14

The Election Commission on Oct 6 announced that the Bihar assembly elections 2025 will be held over two phases on Nov 6 and Nov 11 with the counting of votes scheduled for Nov 14.

In the first phase, 121 out of 243 seats will go to the polls; the remaining seats will be contested in the second phase.

Political observers say the timing of the polls — placed after Chhath and Diwali, which fall between October 18 and October 28 this year — was likely chosen to maximize voter participation across the state.

Parties had reportedly pushed for the election schedule to avoid overlap with major festivals.

The electoral battle is shaping up to be a high-stakes contest between the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)–Janata Dal (United) alliance and the Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.

A significant wildcard this time is Prashant Kishor, the well-known political strategist, who will be contesting through his newly launched party, Jan Suraaj, across all 243 seats.

However, the announcement comes amid a heated controversy over the “special intensive revision” (SIR) of Bihar’s voter list. The Election Commission has defended the revision as essential to ensure only eligible Indian citizens vote, citing findings of non-citizens on electoral rolls.

The opposition, however, has accused the commission and state machinery of attempting to disenfranchise voters, particularly from marginalized groups.

After SIR, the total number of registered voters was reduced from 7.9 crore to less than 7.24 crore.

Supreme Court has intervened in the legal challenge against the revision, observing that the process could be scrapped if any illegality is established.

Looking back at the 2020 Bihar elections, the then BJP-led alliance won a narrow majority — 125 seats (with BJP 74 and JD(U) 43) vs. 110 for the opposition (RJD 75, Congress 19, others 16).

Nitish Kumar’s shifting alliance politics during the term added to the volatility of Bihar’s electoral dynamics.

The 2025 elections are also important because they kick off a series of state elections leading into the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, with West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh slated in the following years.

In addition to the main state poll, the Election Commission has announced eight bypolls across the country: two in Jammu & Kashmir, and one each in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Telangana, Punjab, Mizoram, and Odisha.

With the electoral calendar now set, political parties are gearing up for intense campaigning, alliances, and manifesto battles over issues like development, caste dynamics, law and order, and governance.