Patna (Bihar) [India], November 6 : Women in Patna performed Jhijhiya, a traditional folk dance of Mithila, near a polling booth on Thursday to raise awareness about voting as polling for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is underway.

A voter turnout of 13.13 per cent was recorded till 9 am in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India.
The highest voter turnout of 15.27 per cent was recorded in the Saharsa district of the state among all districts, while Lakhisarai recorded a sluggish turnout of 7 per cent.
As of 9 am, a voter turnout of 14.60 per cent was recorded in Begusarai district, followed by 13.11 per cent in Bhojpur, 13.28 per cent in Buxar, 12.48 per cent in Darbhanga, 13.97 per cent in Gopalganj, 14.15 per cent in Khagaria, 13.74 per cent in Madhepura, 13.37 per cent in Munger, 14.38 per cent in Muzaffarpur, 12.45 per cent in Nalanda, 11.22 per cent in Patna, 12.86 per cent in Samastipur, 13.30 per cent in Saran, 12.97 per cent in Sheikhpura, 13.35 per cent in Siwan and 14.30 per cent in Vaishali.
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.
The 2020 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, the BJP bagged 74, the RJD secured 75 seats and the Congress 19. The JD(U) contested 115 constituencies, and the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70.