Bihar Council Polls: Voter Turnout Data and Key Facts

Polling for eight seats in the Bihar Legislative Council took place on Friday, with the process ending peacefully apart from a few sporadic incidents.

Turnout figures recorded until 4 pm showed 43.87 percent participation in graduate constituencies and 74.55 percent in teacher constituencies. Voters already in queues at 4 pm will be allowed to vote, so the figures are expected to shift slightly.

Kosi recorded the highest graduate constituency turnout at 52.51 percent, according to the Election Commission. Patna graduate constituency had the lowest at 36.19 percent. Tirhut graduate constituency saw 42.15 percent voting, and Darbhanga graduate constituency recorded 42 percent.

Saran topped the teacher constituencies with 87.16 percent. Darbhanga teacher constituency registered 79 percent, Tirhut teacher constituency 78.10 percent, and Patna teacher constituency 56.89 percent.

A total of 150 candidates are in the race across the eight seats, including 90 in graduate constituencies and 60 in teacher constituencies. Darbhanga graduate has the largest field with 40 candidates, while Patna teacher and Saran teacher have 18 each.

The main contest is among the NDA, the Mahagathbandhan, the Jan Suraaj Party and independent candidates. The BJP and JD(U) are contesting four seats each within the NDA.

The Jan Suraaj Party, founded by Prashant Kishor, has fielded candidates in all eight constituencies. The RJD, Congress and other parties also have candidates in the fray.

The Patna graduate constituency has drawn particular political interest, with JD(U)'s Neeraj Kumar among several candidates. Leaders of various parties made claims of victory for their nominees during the polling period.

Vote counting for all eight seats will be held on October 27. The results will clarify which parties and candidates have received voter support in the graduate and teacher constituencies.