Bihar elections 2025: Police to use horses, boats to patrol?
What's the story
The Bihar assembly elections will see a total of 90,712 polling booths set up across the state, the Election Commission announced on Monday. According to PTI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said, "In Diara region, patrolling will be done by police using horses in at least 250 polling stations. Similarly, polling parties will travel by boat in 197 polling stations."
Voting updates
EVMs to display color photographs of candidates
For the first time since 2015, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will display color photographs of candidates on ballot papers. This change comes after complaints from voters about difficulty in identifying candidates due to black-and-white photos. The serial number of each candidate will also be displayed more prominently on the machines for better visibility. Over 7.42 crore people are eligible to vote in these elections.
Election schedule
Polls in 2 phases on November 6, 11
The Bihar assembly elections will be held in two phases across 243 constituencies on November 6 and November 11. The counting of votes will take place on November 14. While announcing the dates, Chief Election Commissioner Kumar emphasized the need for revision of voter lists before every election, countering opposition criticism over Special Intensive Revision in poll-bound Bihar.
Voter list
Appeal to voters
Kumar said that the Special Intensive Revision process has "purified" Bihar's voter list after 22 years. He thanked voters for their participation in this process and appealed to them to vote enthusiastically during the upcoming elections. "I appeal to all the voters of Bihar to celebrate this festival of democracy with the same enthusiasm as you celebrate Chhath," he said.