Bihar elections 2025: Polling underway for 2nd and final phase of assembly polls

Voting is underway for 122 constituencies in Bihar in the second and final phase of the highstakes assembly polls on Tuesday morning amid tight security arrangements an official said reported news agency PTIThe polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pmPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged electors to exercise their franchise in the final phase of polling and set a new voting recordToday marks the second and final phase of voting in the Bihar assembly elections I urge all voters to participate enthusiastically and set a new voting record I especially urge my young friends from the state who are voting for the first time to not only cast their votes themselves but also inspire others to do so the PM said on XKumar said voting is not only our right but also a responsibilityI appeal to voters to exercise their right to vote in the second phase of the Bihar assembly elections he posted on the social media platformThe districts where voting is going on include West and East Champaran Sitamarhi Madhubani Supaul Araria and Kishanganj all sharing borders with NepalMost of these districts fall in the Seemanchal region which has a high concentration of Muslim population making it a highstakes battle for both the INDIA bloc which banks on the support of the minority community as well as the ruling NDA which alleges that the opposition is protecting infiltratorsFor the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc the final round of polling is being seen as a crucial test to retain the support of various groups with complex caste and community dynamicsIn this phase 37 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1302 candidates including several ministers in the Nitish Kumar governmentBihar recorded the highest ever voter turnout of over 65 per cent in the polling across 121 constituencies in the first phase of the assembly elections on November 6 Votes of both phases will be counted on November 14Prominent candidates in the second phase include Bijendra Prasad Yadav a veteran JDU leader and the most senior member of the state cabinet who seeks to retain his Supaul seat for a record eighth termSimilar is the case of his cabinet colleague Prem Kumar who belongs to the BJP and is trying his luck from Gaya Town which he has won seven times on the trot since 1990Other ministers whose electoral fates are on stake include BJPs Renu Devi Bettiah and Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu Chhatapur and JDUs Leshi Singh Dhamdaha Sheela Mandal Phulparas and Zama Khan ChainpurKatihar district is home to Balrampur and Kadwa assembly seats where a hattrick is being aimed at by Mehboob Alam and Shakeel Ahmed Khan respectively the legislative party leaders of CPIML Liberation and the CongressThe second and final phase is also being seen as a veritable test of strength for minor NDA partners Hindustani Awam Morcha headed by Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwahas Rashtriya Lok Morcha both of which have got six seats eachAll six seats contested by HAM are going to the polls in the second phaseCandidates of the RLM which was floated barely a couple of years ago and has no representation in the state legislature include Kushwahas wife Snehlata and his most trusted aide Madhaw Anand who are making their debut from Sasaram and Madhubani respectivelyFour of the six candidates fielded by the party are contesting the polls in the second phaseWith inputs from PTI