New Delhi, Nov 6 (NationPress) By 3 p.m., over 53.77% of eligible voters had participated in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Thursday, with Begusarai district achieving the highest turnout of 59.82% among the 18 districts, according to provisional figures from the ECI website.

Patna district experienced the lowest engagement, with a turnout of only 48.69% by 3 p.m.

In Begusarai district, among the seven Assembly constituencies, Cherai-Bariarpur (AC 141) witnessed the highest voter turnout at 62.55% by 3 p.m. This was followed closely by Bachhwara (AC 142) at 60.98% and Teghra (AC 143) at 60.27%.

Other districts reported varied participation levels, with Bhojpur at 50.07%, Buxar at 51.69%, Darbhanga at 51.75%, Gopalganj at 58.17%, Khagaria at 54.77%, Lakhisarai at 57.39%, Madhepura at 55.96%, Munger at 52.17%, Muzaffarpur at 58.40%, Nalanda at 52.32%, Patna at 48.69%, Saharsa at 55.22%, Samastipur at 56.35%, Saran at 54.60%, Sheikhpur at 49.37%, Siwan at 50.93%, and Vaishali at 53.63%.

By 1 p.m., the average voter turnout across the 121 Assembly constituencies was 42.31%, as per ECI data.

At 11 a.m., the turnout was recorded at 27.65% across 18 districts, with higher participation seen in Begusarai (30.37%), Lakhisarai (30.32%), Saharsa (29.68%), and Muzaffarpur (29.66%).

Patna struggled with the lowest turnout at 23.71%.

Meanwhile, Madhepura reported a 28.46% turnout by 11 a.m., while Darbhanga had 26.07%. Gopalganj stood at 30.04%, indicating steady voter engagement since polling commenced. Other districts like Siwan, Saran, and Vaishali recorded turnout rates of 27.09%, 28.52%, and 28.67% respectively.

Polling has remained peaceful with no significant incidents reported.

A total of 1,314 candidates, including 1,192 men and 122 women, are contesting this phase. The Election Commission has stated that 3.75 crore voters, comprising 1.98 crore men, 1.76 crore women, and 758 third-gender voters, are eligible to vote 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 booths, and 107 managed by people with disabilities. Real-time monitoring is facilitated through webcasting at all polling stations.

Robust security measures are in place to ensure smooth polling operations.

Over 15 battalions of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the 18 districts, particularly focusing on sensitive and Naxal-affected regions where voting will conclude an hour earlier, at 5 p.m. Mock polling exercises were conducted early in the morning to ensure readiness before the official voting began.