Bihar Elections 2025: Tejashwi Yadav, 2 Deputy CMs, and 13 Ministers in Tough First Phase Clash

Patna: The Bihar Assembly election is all set to begin on Thursday, with voting scheduled for 121 seats across 18 districts. More than 3.75 crore voters will take part in the first phase of this high-stakes electoral battle. The main contest is between the incumbent NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the INDIA alliance, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its face.

The fate of how many candidates is at stake?

A whopping 1,314 candidates are in the fray this time—including two sitting deputy chief ministers, 13 ministers, a murder-accused MLA, and a handful of public figures from entertainment. Officials have set up 45,000-plus polling booths, loaded with EVMs and VVPATs, to keep the polling smooth and secure.

Who are the key players in this phase?

The BJP and the JDU together have fielded 15 sitting ministers in this first phase—10 from the BJP and five from the JDU. Among them, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha are running for re-election from Tarapur and Lakhisarai respectively, with both contests expected to be tight.

In the opposition camp, Tejashwi Yadav will look to hold on to Raghopur for a third successive win. His older brother, Tej Pratap Yadav—now with the Janshakti Janata Dal—has shifted to Mahua this time. Prashant Kishor, who once said he’d challenge Tejashwi, has backed away from the contest. Among the well-known names, folk singer Maithili Thakur is contesting for the BJP from Alinagar, while Khesari Lal Yadav—the popular Bhojpuri actor—is running for the RJD in Chhapra. Actor-turned-politician Ritesh Pandey is putting his weight behind Jan Suraj in Karghar.

Where are the most heated contests?

In Raghopur, Tejashwi will face BJP’s Satish Kumar, who once famously defeated Rabri Devi. Tarapur is another seat to watch—Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary will try to shake off criticism and reclaim voter trust after a decade without contesting directly. Lakhisarai is bracing for a three-cornered fight, with BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha facing challenges from both the Congress and Jan Suraj.

In Mohania, tempers are high. JDU’s Anand Singh—recently back in jail over a murder charge—will clash with RJD’s Veena Devi in a personal and political turf war. Some constituencies, like Kurhani and Muzaffarpur, are flooded with candidates, while others, like Bhor and Alauli, feature only a handful.

How big is the young vote?

Out of the 3.75 crore voters eligible in this round, about 10.7 lakh will be casting their vote for the first time, most of them under 20. Digha in Patna is the biggest seat in this phase, with 4.5 lakh voters, while Barbigha in Sheikhpura is the smallest. Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said staff have already been deployed across all polling centers and movement of EVM machines is now complete. Campaigning had its flashpoints—an AIMIM candidate’s violent remark against Tejashwi stirred controversy—but the administration says it’s fully geared up to maintain law and order.

Why does this phase matter so much?

The first phase is not just a curtain-raiser. It’s a stress test for both alliances. A setback for the ruling NDA—especially if any key ministers lose—will rattle their campaign going forward. A strong showing by the INDIA bloc, on the other hand, could give Tejashwi’s leadership a serious push and turn the election narrative in his favor. With seasoned politicians, celebrity wildcards, and candidates with criminal cases in the mix, Bihar once again is proving why its politics is as layered as it is unpredictable.