BIHAR TO VOTE IN TWO PHASES ON NOVEMBER 6 AND 11; COUNTING ON 14

The Election Commission on Monday set the stage for a high-stakes Bihar Assembly battle, announcing two-phase polls on November 6 and 11 with counting on November 14.

- AJIT MAINDOLA/ABHINANDAN MISHRA/AGENCIES

The Election Commission of India on Monday announced a two-phase schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections, formally setting the stage for a fierce political contest whose outcome could shape the national political landscape.

Voting for all 243 seats will take place on November 6 and November 11, while counting will be held on November 14. The entire process will conclude by November 16, making this one of the shortest election timelines in Bihar's history.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that the term of the Bihar Legislative Assembly ends on November 22, and the polls will be completed well before that. He added that this year's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had "purified" the state's voter list for the first time in over two decades, ensuring greater accuracy and transparency.

According to the Election Commission, Bihar has a total of 7.42 crore registered voters, including 3.92 crore men, 3.50 crore women and 1,725 transgender electors. There are over 14 lakh first-time voters and 1.63 crore electors in the 20-29 age bracket. For the first time, more than 14,000 centenarian voters will have the option to vote from home through the Form-12D facility.

Voting will take place across 90,712 polling stations, of which 76,801 are rural and 13,911 urban. All polling booths will have 100% webcasting for live monitoring. The Commission has introduced 1,044 women-managed, 292 PwD-managed and 1,350 model polling stations. To ensure accessibility in remote and riverine areas, nearly 200 polling stations will be serviced by boats, while horse-mounted patrols will operate in the diara regions along the Ganga. More than 8.5 lakh personnel, including 4.5 lakh polling officials and 2.5 lakh police personnel, will be deployed, supported by micro-observers and sector officers.