What Is The 'X Factor' in Bihar That Led To Record Voter Turnout In First Phase? Prashant Kishor Decodes

A day after the first phase of voting in Bihar registered a record 64.66 per cent turnout, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Friday claimed that migrants who returned home for Chhath festivities

are the "X factor" in the assembly polls. The former political strategist asserted that these migrants have not yet gone back to their places of work, and their impact factor is one to watch out for. "The highest voter turnout since Independence confirms what we have always been saying - there is a very strong yearning for change in Bihar where the people have been caught in a political rut for about 30 years," said Kishor, PTI reported.He claimed that the people now had a glimmer of hope with his one-year-old party emerging as an alternative that was viable. Berating the NDA, which has been in power since 2005, the Jan Suraaj Party founder said, "These people had thought that they could win by offering some doles to women. Yes, women turned up in large numbers, but it is the migrants who are the X factor in this election"."Having returned home for the festivities, they have stayed back and are encouraging their family members to go out and vote. Their impact is something to watch out for," he asserted.

Bihar Election 2025

The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections concluded peacefully on Thursday with a record voter turnout of 64.66 per cent, the highest in the electoral history of the state, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said. A total of 121 Assembly constituencies across 18 districts went to polls, with 3,75,13,302 electors, including 1,98,35,325 male, 1,76,77,219 female and 758 third-gender voters.A total of 45,341 polling stations have been set up across the state, including 36,733 in rural areas and 8608 in urban areas.Assembly elections in Bihar are being held in two phases on November 6 and 11, while the counting of votes is set for November 14.(With PTI inputs)