Patna (Bihar) [India], November 6 (ANI): Union Minister and LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan on Thursday urged people to exercise their voting rights and participate in the festival of democracy.

Speaking to reporters in Patna, the LJP (RV) chief said, 'I urge everyone to exercise their Right to Vote. I would like it if Bihar witnesses record voting in the first phase today.'

Reacting to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's allegations of 'vote theft,' Paswan suggested that if the Congress truly believes its own claims are solid, it should take the matter to court rather than continuing to protest the ECI's processes.

'After you (Congress) raise discrepancies or complaints about voting, the ECI brings in SIR, but you still have a problem even with that. If they have so much trust in the information they have, then they should approach the court,' Paswan told reporters.

On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference, alleged 'large-scale voter fraud' in the 2024 Haryana assembly elections.

Meanwhile, voting for the first phase of the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar began today at 7.00 am across 121 constituencies in 18 districts of the state's 243 seats, with approximately 3.75 crore electors casting their ballot.

Polling will conclude at 6 pm, and due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5 pm in some constituencies.

The first phase will decide the fate of several senior leaders, including RJD's Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Mangal Pandey and JD(U)'s Shravan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Choudhary. Tej Pratap Yadav is also in the fray in the first phase.

According to the Election Commission, there are 10.72 lakh 'new electors' and 7.78 lakh voters are in the age group of 18-19 years. The total population of these constituencies, as stated by the Election Commission, is 6.60 crore.

A total of 122 women candidates are in the fray in the first phase of the polls.

Jan Suraj Party fielded 119 candidates in this phase. Within NDA, JD(U) is contesting 57 seats, followed by BJP on 48 and LJP (Ram Vilas) on 14.

Among the Mahagathbandhan constituents, RJD is contesting 73 seats in the first phase, followed by 24 from Congress and 14 from CPI(ML). There will be friendly fights for a few seats among constituents of the Mahagathbandhan.

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, polling took place in three phases. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 125 seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) won 110. Among the major parties, the Janata Dal (United) bagged 43 seats and the Congress 19. The JD(U) had contested 115 constituencies and the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70. (ANI)