Bihar Assembly Elections to Be Held in Two Phases on November 6 and 11; Counting on November 14

New Delhi, October 6, 2025: The Election Commission of India on Monday announced that Assembly elections in Bihar will be conducted in two phases — on November 6 and November 11 — with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar made the announcement during a press conference, assuring that the polls will be conducted in a transparent and peaceful manner.

The CEC stated that it is mandatory to complete the counting of postal ballots before the last two rounds of counting of votes. He also announced that byelections for eight constituencies, including Tarn Taran in Punjab and Budgam and Nagrota in Jammu & Kashmir, will be held simultaneously on November 11, with results to be declared alongside Bihar’s on November 14.

Bihar’s current Assembly term ends on November 22. The state has 243 constituencies, including two reserved for Scheduled Tribes and 38 for Scheduled Castes. Polling for 121 constituencies will take place in the first phase, while the remaining 122 will vote in the second phase.

For the first phase, the last date for filing nominations is October 17, with scrutiny on October 18 and withdrawal of candidature by October 20. For the second phase, candidates can file nominations until October 20, scrutiny will occur on October 21, and withdrawals will be accepted until October 23.

According to the CEC, more than 7.42 crore people are eligible to vote in the upcoming elections, including 14 lakh first-time voters and 4 lakh senior citizens. Of the total electorate, 3.92 crore are male and 3.5 crore are female voters, while at least 14,000 voters are aged above 100 years.

A total of 90,712 polling stations are being set up across the state to ensure smooth voting. Kumar added that strict instructions have been issued to the state administration to maintain law and order, emphasizing “zero tolerance to any violence” and ensuring there is “no scope for any threat to voters or candidates.”