Bihar Assembly election schedule to be announced today
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections on Monday. The poll body will make the announcement at a press conference, which will start at 4:00pm. The term of the current 243-member Bihar Assembly ends on November 22, and elections must be held before then.
Election strategy
Political parties push for polls after Chhath festival
Political parties in Bihar are pushing for the elections to be held after the Chhath festival, which ends in October. They argue this would allow more voters to participate as many people working outside the state return home for the festival. The last Bihar Assembly elections in 2020 were held in three phases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Voter list revision
New measures for Bihar Assembly elections
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced several new measures for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. He said a special intensive revision (SIR) "purified" the voters' list after 22 years. The last intensive revision was in 2003. Kumar said these initiatives would be implemented across India and include a new SOP to ensure EPIC cards are delivered to voters within 15 days of registration and a mobile deposit facility at polling booths.
Election preparedness
ECI delegation visits Bihar for poll preparedness review
The announcement comes after a two-day visit by an ECI delegation to review poll preparedness. The team was led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and included Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The Bihar elections will see a contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal United (JDU) alliance and the Mahagathbandhan, headed by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.