Beating the highest turnout of 62.57 per cent recorded in the Bihar Assembly elections in 2000, the first phase of the polling for 121 seats saw 64.66 per cent voting, said Election Commission (EC) sources. The last elections held in 2020 had registered a voting percentage of 57.29.

Traditionally, a high turnout during elections indicates anti-incumbency trend against the ruling party. In Bihar's case, the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) in alliance with mainly the BJP and for shorter durations even with the RJD and the Congress, has been in power in the state since 2005.

According to the EC data, the turnout has consistently risen since the 2005 polls. While in 2005, the turnout was 45.85 per cent, it rose to 52.73 per cent in 2010 and in 2015 it further went up to 56.91 per cent. In 2020, it we

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