EC to declare Bihar polls soon
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Bihar assembly polls expected by late October, the election commission (EC) on Saturday held a meeting with all recognised political parties to discuss key aspects of the upcoming polls, including election dates and phases. The meeting was chaired by chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and attended by election commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, chief electoral officer of Bihar Vinod Singh Gunjyal, and senior officials.The EC, while emphasising the role of political parties in a transparent democratic process, urged them to nominate polling agents at every booth to ensure smooth and fair polling. It also called upon voters to approach the elections with harmony and respect, asserting the transparency measures taken by the commission.Representatives from several parties urged that the elections be held immediately after the Chhath festival to maximise voter turnout and recommended conducting the polls in as few phases as possible to ensure efficiency, reported ANI.While political parties welcomed the decision to cap the number of voters per polling station at 1,200 and praised reforms related to postal ballot counting and the use of Form 17C, they also went on to appreciate the “historic, transparent, and firm” measures to cleanse the electoral rolls through the special intensive revision (SIR). Interestingly, SIR has been a major bone of contention between the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc. Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha called on EC to conduct a single-phase election, stressing the improved law and order situation in Bihar. Speaking after the meeting in Patna, he told reporters, “We put forward our point before the election commission. The special intensive revision (SIR) has happened in Bihar, and Bihar will show the country the way SIR is done. We have urged that elections should be held in one phase in Bihar.” He added, “Law and order in Bihar is in good condition. If elections can be held in one phase in Maharashtra, then why not in Bihar?”BJP Bihar president Dilip Jaiswal taking an aim at the opposition said that all polling agents should collect Form 17C after voting concludes to avoid post-poll disputes, “the election commission has requested political parties to ensure that their polling agents surely collect Form 17C when voting ends in the evening… Some political parties’ polling agents leave early, and then the blame game begins,” he said. Jaiswal further mentioned that his party recommended elections be held immediately after the mandatory 28-day announcement period, “without any delay.”The election commission is expected to announce the Bihar assembly election dates soon.
