EVM Glitches Spark Chaos In Bihar: ‘Vote Thief’ Chants Erupt As Voting Halted In Vaishali, Darbhanga, And Raghopur

Voting for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 is underway across 121 constituencies in 18 districts, with polling continuing till 6 pm. Of these, 104 seats are witnessing a straight contest, while 17 seats have turned into triangular battles. The elections for Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats are being held in two phases, with results scheduled for November 14.

EVM Glitches Cause Chaos In Several Districts

At booths 334 and 335 in Lalganj (Vaishali), chaos erupted after EVM malfunctions led to delays in polling. Agitated voters raised “vote thief” slogans, accusing officials of irregularities. Similar technical glitches were reported from Darbhanga, where polling couldn’t begin at booth 153, and from Raghopur, where voting was temporarily halted after machine failures.

Technical snags were also reported in Danapur, Madhepura, and Bakhtiyarpur. At booth 196 in Danapur, voting was stalled for nearly half an hour due to a faulty EVM, while at booth 316 in Bakhtiyarpur, malfunctioning machines led to long queues of frustrated voters.

In Muzaffarpur’s Gaya Ghat constituency, voters at booths 161, 162, and 170 boycotted polling to protest the lack of road and bridge construction in their area. Meanwhile, in Hajipur (Fatua Assembly constituency), polling was briefly disrupted after the presiding officer at booth 254 fell ill and was rushed to the hospital.

Voting hours at sensitive booths in Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur (Munger district), and Jamalpur were restricted to 5 pm due to heightened security concerns.

Lalu Family Casts Vote; Key Leaders In Fray

At the Veterinary College booth in Patna, the Lalu Prasad Yadav family turned out to vote together. Former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, along with Tejashwi Yadav, his wife Rajshree, and Misa Bharti, all cast their votes. Speaking to the media, Rabri Devi said, “Both my sons have my blessings. Tej Pratap and Tejashwi are contesting the elections on their own strength.”

This phase features 10 high-profile constituencies, with political heavyweights like Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, and Anant Singh battling to retain their influence.

High-Stakes Contest Across 18 Districts

A total of 1,314 candidates are contesting in this phase, with their fate to be decided by 3.75 crore voters across 45,341 polling booths. Security has been tightened across the state, with over four lakh personnel deployed to ensure smooth polling.

READ MORE: Bihar Elections Phase 1: Lalu Yadav And Family Casts Vote, Says Change To Start From Nov 14