Polls in Bihar on Nov 6, 11; counting on Nov 14

Bypolls for eight seats in J&k, Odisha, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Punjab, Telangana, Rajasthan on Nov 11

- VINAY KUMAR

Bihar will vote in two phases—on November 6 and 11—to elect a new Assembly in the state. The counting of votes and results will take place on November 14.

Announcing the Assembly poll schedule for Bihar on Monday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) shared new details and processes that will be implemented for the highly anticipated elections.

The term of the 243-member state Assembly ends on November 22. Political parties had requested the Election Commission to conduct elections immediately after the popular Chhath festival to ensure greater voter participation, as a large number of people employed outside the state return home for the festivities.

Of the state's 243 seats, 121 will vote in the first phase, and the rest in the second. For the first phase, the last date for filing nominations is October 17, while scrutiny will be held on October 18, The last date for withdrawal of candidature for first-phase elections is October 20.

Similarly, for the second phase, the last date for filing nominations is October 20, while scrutiny will be held on October 21. The last date for withdrawal of candidature for the second-phase elections is October 23.

The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into effect in Bihar with the announcement of the Assembly elections.

In the outgoing Assembly, the ruling NDA has 138 members, while the opposition alliance has 103 members in the 243-member Assembly.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, held a series of meetings in Patna over the weekend to assess security arrangements, logistics, and enforcement preparedness with top state officials to ensure free, fair, and inducement-free elections.