Bihar appears headed for its highest voter turnout in its assembly elections, with 63.90 per cent of the 3.75 crore eligible voters exercising their franchise till 9 pm on Thursday across 121 constituencies in the first phase of polling, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The state’s highest-ever turnout in an assembly election was 62.04 per cent in 1990, while the 1998 Lok Sabha polls saw the highest parliamentary turnout at 64.6 per cent.

Polling on Thursday spanned 18 districts, with Begusarai district recording the highest polling at 69.27 per cent, followed by Muzaffarpur (70.96 per cent) and Samastipur (70.63 per cent). In contrast, till 9 pm, urban constituencies in Patna registered lower enthusiasm — Bankipur (40.97 per cent), Digha (41.40 per cent) and Kumhrar

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