The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday set the stage for one of the most significant political contests of the year, announcing the schedule for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. The polling will be conducted in two phases, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, addressing a press conference in the national capital, declared that the first phase of polling will cover 121 constituencies on November 6, followed by the second phase for the remaining 122 seats on November 11. This marks a shift from the 2020 assembly elections, which were conducted in three phases.
A "Sanitised" Electoral Roll and a Focus on Transparency
CEC Gyanesh Kumar underscored the Commission's efforts to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. He highlighted the success of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive, which he said has effectively 'sanitised' the electoral rolls. The final draft of the rolls was published on September 30.
"The Election Commission intends to conduct peaceful, fair, and transparent elections. For this to happen, the Commission expects cooperation from all political parties, voters, and the media," Kumar stated.
To bolster transparency and trust in the process, the ECI has introduced several key measures:
100% Webcasting: For the first time, webcasting will be conducted from all polling booths, a significant increase from the 50% coverage in previous elections.
Colour Photographs on EVMs: Addressing past grievances of candidates, their photographs on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will now be in colour instead of black-and-white, with an increased font size for better visibility.
The Electorate of Bihar
Bihar has a massive electorate of 7.42 crore voters, who will decide the fate of contestants across 243 seats. The voter breakdown includes:
3.92 crore male voters
3.50 crore female voters
1,725 transgender voters
A notable segment is the 14.01 lakh first-time voters who will be eligible to cast their ballots. Of the total seats, 38 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and two for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
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