1,314 Candidates to Contest in First Phase of Bihar Assembly Elections After 61 Withdraw Nominations

Patna, Oct 2025 : The Election Commission on Monday announced that 61 candidates withdrew their nominations on the final day of withdrawal for the first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, leaving 1,314 candidates in the fray.

According to official data, a total of 1,690 candidates had initially filed their nominations for the first phase, which covers 121 constituencies across 18 districts. After scrutiny, 315 nominations were found invalid due to discrepancies, reducing the number of valid candidates to 1,375. Following Monday’s withdrawals, the final number of candidates contesting in the first phase stands at 1,314.

A district-wise analysis shows that Patna recorded the highest number of withdrawals (9), followed by Darbhanga (8), Begusarai (7), and Gopalganj (6). Vaishali saw 5 withdrawals, Muzaffarpur 4, while Siwan, Samastipur, Nalanda, and Buxar each recorded 3 withdrawals. Madhepura, Khagaria, and Munger reported 2 withdrawals each, whereas Saharsa, Saran, Sheikhpura, and Bhojpur had one withdrawal each.

The nomination process for the first phase began on October 10 and concluded on October 17, with voting scheduled for November 6.

Meanwhile, the nomination process for the second phase of the elections — covering 122 seats in 18 districts — concluded at 5 p.m. on Monday. Candidates in this phase will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until October 23. Polling for the second phase will be held on November 11, and results for both phases will be announced on November 14.

The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections are shaping up as a high-stakes battle between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan).

The NDA has finalized its seat-sharing arrangement, with the Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party contesting 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will field candidates on 29 seats. Smaller allies, including the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), will contest on six seats each.

As Bihar gears up for a two-phase election, political activity has intensified across the state, with major alliances mobilizing resources and preparing for an intense campaign ahead of the November polls.