The Election Commission on Friday announced the dates for the Assembly elections in Bihar with voting being held in three phases.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora announced that in the first phase, 71 Assembly constituencies in 16 districts will vote on October 28. In the second phase, 94 constituencies in 17 districts will vote on November 3. In the third phase, 78 constituencies in 15 districts will vote on November 7.
The results will be announced on November 10.
Arora announced that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a ‘new normal’ and acknowledged that more than 70 nations had postponed elections due to the situation. Arora noted there needed to be a balance between people’s democratic rights and the need for ensuring public safety.
Arora called the Bihar polls the “biggest election in the world in the COVID-19 time in the immediate future”. As a result of COVID-19, number of voters has been reduced per booth from 1,500 to 1,000 people. This has resulted in rise in number of polling stations from 6,577 to 1 lakh. Election Commission has arranged 7 lakh hand sanitisers and over 7 crore single-use hand gloves for voters to use while pressing EVMs. The Election Commission has increased voting hours by 1 hour (from 7am to 6pm); this does not apply to districts affected by leftwing extremism.
Arora said people quarantined with COVID-19 “will be able to cast their vote on the last day of poll, at their respective polling stations, under the supervision of health authorities. This is beside the option of postal facility already extended to them,” ANI reported.
Arora said political parties will be required to upload criminal antecedents of candidates on their websites.
Regarding fake news, Arora was quoted by ANI as saying “the social media platforms are expected to make adequate arrangements to safeguard against misuse of their platforms and set up strict protocols to handle such issues as and when they arise.”
The term of the 243-member Bihar legislative Assembly comes to an end on November 29. As many as 38 seats are reserved for scheduled castes and two for scheduled tribes.
By-elections will also be held to one Lok Sabha and 64 Assembly seats spread across 15 states. These elections were delayed on account of COVID-19.
The bypoll to the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat in Bihar has been pending.
Among the 64 vacant Assembly seats, 27 are in Madhya Pradesh. Most of these 27 seats fell vacant when rebel Congress members resigned from the party and the Assembly to join the BJP in March.
