The Election Commission of India is going to hold another press conference on Monday to announce the poll dates for Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, according to sources cited by The Indian Express.
Number of election phases likely to be reduced
The decision to reduce the number of election phases in Bihar was made after considering feedback from political parties during the Election Commission’s recent visit to the state, reported IE. In a meeting on Saturday, the ruling NDA asked for a single-phase vote, while the Opposition suggested two phases. Both sides wanted the elections to take place soon after the Chhath festival, which starts on October 25.
Another sign of fewer phases is that the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are preparing more companies for deployment, expecting more polling booths but fewer phases. An internal note reviewed by this newspaper confirmed this plan.
What happened in 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections?
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, voting happened in three phases. The term of the 243-seat Assembly ends on November 22. The announcement comes a day after the three Election Commissioners returned to Delhi following their October 4–5 visit to review poll preparations.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar had said in Patna on Sunday that each polling booth in the upcoming Bihar elections will now serve not more than 1,200 voters instead of the earlier count of 1,500. The change aims to reduce long queues and waiting times, especially during the final hours of voting.
With more polling booths being set up, the Central Armed Police Forces are preparing to deploy additional personnel to ensure smooth management.
These elections will be the first Assembly polls since the Election Commission began a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls on June 24, starting with Bihar. Unlike previous years, the EC decided to prepare the voter lists from scratch instead of doing the usual annual or pre-election updates.
The SIR led to the removal of 68.5 lakh voters and the addition of 21.53 lakh new voters, bringing Bihar’s total registered electorate to nearly 7.42 crore. The EC’s decision to carry out the SIR has been challenged in the Supreme Court.