The record voter turnout of 64.66% in the first phase of the high-stakes Bihar elections, a jump of 8.5 percentage points from the 56.1% recorded in 2020, has set the political corridors abuzz, with both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan interpreting the surge to their advantage. Voting in the second phase will take place on November 11, with results on November 14.

On Thursday, 121 constituencies across 18 districts went to the polls, with 3.75 crore voters turning out on a weekday - a nearly two-thirds participation. In the 2020 assembly elections, where 71 constituencies voted in the first phase, 2.06 crore of the 3.70 crore eligible voters cast their ballots.

The electoral history in Bihar suggests that whenever the voter turnout has increased by more than 5%, it has led to a change of

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