Record-Breaking Voter Turnout in Bihar Elections Signals Political Change, Says Prashant Kishor

Prashant Kishor said, "A new system is going to be established on the 14th (November)."

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday asserted that the exceptional voter turnout in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections signals an imminent change coming to the state.

In his conversation with ANI, Kishor emphasized, "The highest polling in the last 30 years indicates that change is coming to Bihar. A new system is going to be established on the 14th (November)."

Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Gunjyal confirmed that the first phase of elections concluded peacefully, with approximately 64.46 percent voter participation recorded across the state.

According to Election Commission data, this turnout represents the highest since the 2000 assembly elections, which saw a 62.57 percent participation rate.

The current 64.46 percent figure is based on data from 41,943 booths out of a total 45,341 polling stations in Bihar. The CEO indicated that complete final data would be available in due course.

During a press conference, Gunjyal revealed that 3.75 crore citizens were eligible to vote in the first phase, comprising 1.98 crore male and 1.76 crore female voters. He noted that women voters showed particular enthusiasm in exercising their democratic rights.

More than two lakh senior citizens aged 85 and above participated in this initial phase of assembly polls. The electoral infrastructure included 8,608 polling booths in urban areas and 36,733 in rural locations. Among the 1,314 candidates contesting the elections, 1,192 were men and 122 were women.

The voting process utilized 47,263 ballot units, 45,341 control units, and an equal number of VVPAT machines. During polling operations, 165 ballot units, 169 control units, and 480 VVPATs required replacement.

Gunjyal highlighted an improvement in equipment reliability, noting that only 1.21 percent of EVMs needed replacement, compared to 1.87 percent during the 2020 assembly elections.

"The first phase of voting for the Bihar Assembly elections has been successfully completed. Voting is still ongoing in some places, and we're updating data. The current voter turnout is 64.46 percent. The participation of women voters was very good," Gunjyal stated during his briefing.

He further elaborated, "During the voting, 165 ballot units, 169 control units, and 480 VVPATs were replaced. This time, we had to replace 1.21 percent of the ballot units in the first phase, while in the 2020 Assembly elections, 1.87 percent of the EVMs were replaced. This means that we needed to replace fewer EVMs this time."

The CEO confirmed that all 143 complaints received on polling day were promptly resolved. He also acknowledged reports of boycotts at specific polling stations, including station number 56 in Brahmapur assembly constituency (Buxar district), stations 165 and 166 in Fatuha assembly constituency, and stations 1, 2, and 5 near Lakhisarai in Suryagarha.

"No untoward incidents have been reported in the first phase of voting that concluded today. Voting was conducted peacefully and smoothly," he assured.

The electoral process will continue with the remaining 122 constituencies voting in the second phase on November 11, followed by vote counting scheduled for November 14.