Parties Urge Poll Body To Conduct Bihar Elections Immediately After Chhath

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday reviewed preparations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections during the first day of its two-day visit to the state. The Commission held detailed interactions with representatives of major national and regional parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, and others.

In the meeting, the parties unanimously urged that the Assembly elections be scheduled immediately after the Chhath festival, citing convenience for voters and candidates. They also requested that polling be conducted in the minimum number of phases to reduce the burden of prolonged campaigning and logistical challenges.

On the second day of its visit, the Commission will meet senior state officials to review administrative and security arrangements. A press conference on the election preparations is also expected. According to sources in the Commission, the election schedule may be announced after October 6.

During its interaction with party leaders, the ECI described political parties as the "foundation of democracy" and called on them to actively participate in every stage of the election process, including appointing polling and counting agents. The Commission also encouraged political parties to celebrate elections in a festive spirit, together with the voters.

Representatives of the political parties thanked the Commission for successfully completing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and expressed confidence in the credibility of the electoral process. They also welcomed recent ECI measures such as capping the number of voters per polling station at 1,200, ensuring postal ballots are counted before the penultimate round of EVM counting, and directing presiding officers to distribute Form 17C to party agents before leaving polling stations, which will lead to timely and accurate voter turnout.

All parties reiterated their faith in the Election Commission's mandate to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections in Bihar.

On September 30, the Election Commission released the final electoral roll for Bihar. After the completion of the SIR exercise, 7.42 crore electors have been found eligible to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections.