Bihar voter turnout beats 2000 record

Beating the highest turnout of 62.57 per cent recorded in the Bihar Assembly elections in 2000, the first phase of the polling for 121 seats saw 64.66 per cent voting, said Election Commission (EC) sources. The last elections held in 2020 had registered a voting percentage of 57.29.

Traditionally, a high turnout during elections indicates anti-incumbency trend against the ruling party. In Bihar's case, the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) in alliance with mainly the BJP and for shorter durations even with the RJD and the Congress, has been in power in the state since 2005.

According to the EC data, the turnout has consistently risen since the 2005 polls. While in 2005, the turnout was 45.85 per cent, it rose to 52.73 per cent in 2010 and in 2015 it further went up to 56.91 per cent. In 2020, it went up marginally to 57.29 per cent.

The lowest turnout — 42.6 per cent — was recorded in the first Assembly polls in 1951-52.

For the Lok Sabha elections, the state's highest turnout was 64.6 per cent in 1998 while the lowest was 40.35 per cent in 1951-52.

On Thursday, 121 Assembly constituencies in 18 districts in Bihar went to the polls, with a total electorate of over 3.75 crore.

The increased turnout is significant because the special intensive revision of the state's voter lists deleted 47 lakh names.

The reduction in the overall voter base — from 7.89 crore before the exercise to 7.42 crore after — could account for the increased turnout, but only if the actual number of voters is the same.

There are a total of 243 seats in Bihar. With 121 seats having witnessed voting in the first phase on Thursday, the remaining 122 seats will go to polls on November 11 and the results will be declared on November 14.

Year-wise Turnout

• 62.57% in 2000
• 45.85% in 2005
• 52.73% in 2010
• 56.91%. in 2015
• 57.29% in 2020