Patna: First phase of Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 begins across 121 constituencies in 18 districts amid tight security
The election will test the opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance)’s strength against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s resilience, which has already raised the political decibel from Patna to Delhi.
The elections are being fought on planks ranging from development to law and order, pitting Nitish Kumar’s governance record against Tejashwi Yadav’s social justice push.
Another factor to watch out for is the influence of election strategist Prashant Kishor’s new Jan Suraaj party, which is aiming to be the dark horse in Bihar’s vibrant politics. How caste politics impacts voting patterns will be a key factor to keep an eye on.
The Nitish Kumar-led NDA has much at stake, with 15 ministers in the fray — 10 from the BJP, including deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary (Tarapur) and Vijay Kumar Sinha (Lakhisarai), and five from the JD(U), such as Vijay Kumar Choudhary (Sarairanjan) and education minister Sunil Kumar (Bhore).
For the opposition INDIA bloc, RJD leader and chief ministerial hopeful Tejashwi Yadav faces a crucial test in Raghopur, his family’s traditional bastion. Seeking a third consecutive win, he is challenged by BJP’s Satish Kumar Yadav, who once defeated his mother, former CM Rabri Devi, in 2010. His brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, expelled from RJD earlier this year, contests from Mahua under his new Janshakti Janata Dal banner.
