Bihar Assembly Election Schedule to Be Announced Today at 4 PM

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections today at 4 PM, officials said. The announcement follows a detailed two-day review of poll preparedness in the state.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, held meetings over the weekend in Patna to assess security, logistics, and enforcement measures with top state officials, aiming to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.

“We are fully committed to conducting elections in Bihar that are transparent, inclusive and peaceful,” CEC Kumar said.

The review examined all aspects of the electoral process — EVM management, polling station rationalisation, staff training, law and order arrangements, and voter awareness campaigns. District officials were also instructed to monitor social media for misinformation and take swift legal action when necessary.

Ahead of today’s announcement, the ECI consulted representatives from major political parties including BJP, JD(U), RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), AAP, and others. Many parties requested polling after Chhath Puja, Bihar’s key festival, to maximise voter turnout.

JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Singh Kushwaha urged single-phase polling post-festival so that migrant voters could return home to cast their votes. The BJP supported this, suggesting elections in one or two phases with paramilitary deployment in sensitive areas.

The last Assembly elections in 2020 were held in three phases.

The schedule announcement comes shortly after the final electoral roll was published on September 30, listing 7.42 crore electors. The Special Intensive Revision of the rolls was completed ahead of schedule, clearing the path for the poll schedule.

The upcoming elections are expected to be a direct contest between the NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

In the 243-member Assembly, the NDA currently holds 131 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan has 111.