Election Commission Intensifies Oversight As Bihar Gears Up For Assembly Elections

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is pressing ahead with its rigorous two-day evaluation of Bihar’s electoral preparedness on Sunday, as the state gears up for its high-stakes Assembly elections.

The exercise seeks to ensure transparent and impartial conduct of the upcoming polls.

On the second day of its visit, the ECI delegation, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is holding significant discussions in Patna with enforcement agencies.

These deliberations focus on strengthening mechanisms to address the misuse of money and muscle power, persistent issues that shape Bihar’s electoral environment.

Senior officials from the Income Tax Department, police, and other enforcement units are participating in today’s sessions.

The Commission is reviewing plans designed to improve coordination between agencies, intensify surveillance, and implement targeted measures to guarantee fair competition for all political parties.

Later in the day, the Commission will meet with the Chief Electoral Officer, the State Police Nodal Officer, and central security force representatives to evaluate on-the-ground preparedness.

A comprehensive review with the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, and senior bureaucrats will follow to examine statewide operational arrangements.

Media Briefing Scheduled for 2 PM

At 2 PM, the ECI will address a press conference to share the outcomes of its assessments so far.

The briefing will cover key findings, inputs received from political parties, and the strategy moving forward.

During its interactions on Saturday, the ECI team, comprising CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, engaged in extensive consultations with major national and regional political parties, including BJP, Congress, JD(U), RJD, LJP (Ram Vilas), RLJP, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML-Liberation), BSP, AAP, and NPP.

Describing political parties as ‘vital pillars of democracy’, the Commission encouraged them to take an active role by nominating polling and counting agents and promoting elections as an inclusive civic celebration.

Parties expressed their support for the ECI’s efforts to complete the Special Intensive Revision and to clean electoral rolls. They suggested that the elections be held soon after the Chhath festival and preferably in fewer phases to boost voter turnout.

Parties also endorsed recent reforms such as capping electors per polling station at 1,200, ensuring timely postal ballot counting, and making the handover of Form 17C to party agents compulsory after polling.

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