New Delhi, Nov 6 (NationPress) An impressive turnout of 60.13 percent was noted by 5 p.m. on Thursday during the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, which involved 121 seats, according to data from the Election Commission of India.

Among the 18 districts where voting took place, Begusarai district led with a turnout of 67.32 percent, followed closely by Samastipur at 66.65 percent and Madhepura at 65.74 percent by 5 p.m.

Notably, Begusarai district’s Bachhwara seat (AC 142) recorded the highest participation with 69.67 percent turnout by 5 p.m., as per the ECI.

Before 3 p.m., over 53.77 percent of eligible voters had already cast their votes. In contrast, Patna district exhibited the lowest engagement, with a turnout of only 48.69 percent.

Among the seven Assembly constituencies in Begusarai, Cherai-Bariarpur (AC 141) saw the highest turnout of 62.55 percent by 3 p.m., while Bachhwara (AC 142) and Teghra (AC 143) followed at 60.98 percent and 60.27 percent, respectively.

The turnout statistics by 3 p.m. across other districts included: Bhojpur at 50.07 percent, Buxar at 51.69 percent, Darbhanga at 51.75 percent, Gopalganj at 58.17 percent, Khagaria at 54.77 percent, Lakhisarai at 57.39 percent, Madhepura at 55.96 percent, Munger at 52.17 percent, Muzaffarpur at 58.40 percent, Nalanda at 52.32 percent, Patna at 48.69 percent, Saharsa at 55.22 percent, Samastipur at 56.35 percent, Saran at 54.60 percent, Sheikhpur at 49.37 percent, Siwan at 50.93 percent, and Vaishali at 53.63 percent.

The average voter engagement by 1 p.m. was calculated at 42.31 percent across 121 Assembly constituencies in the 18 districts, as reported by the ECI.

By 11 a.m. on Thursday, the average turnout stood at 27.65 percent across these districts, according to the Chief Electoral Officer.

While Begusarai (30.37 percent), Lakhisarai (30.32 percent), Saharsa (29.68 percent), and Muzaffarpur (29.66 percent) experienced relatively high participation rates, other districts also showed moderate to promising turnout figures by mid-morning.

The polling process in these regions proceeded smoothly, with no significant incidents reported.

A total of 1,314 candidates are contesting in this phase, including 1,192 men and 122 women. The Election Commission has indicated that 3.75 crore electors are eligible to vote, comprising 1.98 crore men, 1.76 crore women, and 758 voters from the third gender, across 45,341 polling stations, with 36,733 in rural and 8,608 in urban areas.

The ECI has set up 320 model booths, 926 women-managed stations, and 107 run by individuals with disabilities. Additionally, webcasting capabilities have been established in all polling stations for real-time observation.

Over 15 battalions of law enforcement and paramilitary forces have been stationed throughout the 18 districts, particularly focusing on sensitive and Naxal-affected regions, where voting will conclude an hour earlier, at 5 p.m. Mock polling was carried out early in the morning to ensure the integrity of the systems before the voting commenced.