The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections today at 4 PM, officials confirmed.
The announcement follows a two-day review of the state’s election preparations. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, held several meetings in Patna to check on security, logistics, and arrangements to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections.
“We are fully committed to conducting elections in Bihar that are transparent, inclusive, and peaceful,” said CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Election Preparations
The review included every major area of election planning — such as EVM management, polling station setup, training of polling staff, law and order, and voter awareness campaigns. Officials were also told to closely monitor social media and take quick action against fake news or misinformation.
Meetings with Political Parties
Before the announcement, the Election Commission also met representatives from key political parties — including the BJP, JD(U), RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), and AAP — to hear their views on the election schedule.
Many parties requested that polling be held after Chhath Puja, Bihar’s biggest festival, to allow more people to vote.
JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha said the party wanted single-phase polling right after the festival so that migrant workers could return home to vote. The BJP supported this idea and also asked for paramilitary deployment in sensitive areas for better security.
Background
The previous Assembly elections in 2020 were held in three phases. This year’s announcement comes just a few days after the publication of the final electoral roll on September 30, which listed 7.42 crore registered voters.
The upcoming election is expected to be a direct contest between the NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Currently, in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the NDA holds 131 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan has 111 seats.
