Two-phase Bihar polls on Nov 6 & 11; counting on 14

Polling this time will be shortest for the state in over a quarter century

- ARCHIS MOHAN

Polling for the Assembly elections in Bihar will take place in two phases, on November 6 and 11, and the votes will be counted on November 14, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday announced.

The two-phase polling is the shortest in Bihar in over a quarter century, at least since the state was split to carve out Jharkhand. The CEC described the polls as the "mother of all elections" for the number of electors (74.3 million) and the people on poll duty (850,000).

The Assembly polls five years ago, in 2020, were conducted over three phases.

The state had polls across five phases in 2015, six phases in 2010, and four and three phases in October and February of 2005, respectively. Kumar attributed the EC's decision to hold polls across fewer phases to electors' awareness, an improved law and order situation, and the availability of central armed paramilitary forces. During the poll panel's visit to Bihar on October 4 and 5, political parties requested holding polls in fewer phases.