Patna: Women voters have once again transformed Bihar’s electoral scene, achieving a record turnout in the 2025 assembly elections. The Election Commission reported that women outperformed men by an impressive nine percentage points across the two phases, resulting in an overall turnout of 66.91%—the highest in the state’s electoral history. In the first phase, 69.04% of women participated compared to 61.56% of men. The gap increased in the second phase, with women achieving a turnout of 74.03%, while men recorded 64.10%. Altogether, women voted at a remarkable 71.60%, in contrast to 62.80% for men, highlighting a significant and consistent gender gap in favor of female participation. The overall turnout in the second phase reached 68.89%, exceeding the first phase’s 65.08%.
Voting was observed via live webcasting at all 45,399 polling booths. Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer, Vinod Singh Gunjyal, indicated that data from approximately 2,000 booths is still being compiled, hinting that final figures may increase slightly. Katihar had the highest turnout at 78.63%, followed by Kishanganj at 78.06% and Purnia at 76.04%. Gunjyal mentioned that the two-phase election involved eight and a half lakh polling staff, 1.4 lakh polling agents, and 1.80 lakh Jeevika Didis. Observers note that the rise in women voters—often seen as key in Bihar politics—could be crucial in shaping the final results as parties await the outcomes and exit poll forecasts.
