Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar today said that the decision regarding the declaration of the dates for the Bihar Assembly elections will be taken soon, keeping all pros and cons in consideration. Talking to the media in Patna on the final day of the Election Commission’s two-day review visit to the state, the Chief Election Commissioner said that the Commission had held discussions with political parties, heard their views, and that all aspects would be taken into account while finalising the polling schedule.
The Chief Election Commissioner said that in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, voters, political parties, and all stakeholders will have a pleasant experience, as 17 new initiatives have been introduced to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections just before the assembly elections in Bihar. He added that webcasting will be implemented at all polling stations. To ensure transparency, political parties’ Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have been advised to participate in mock polls before polling starts and to collect Form 17C after polling ends.
He said that when voters go to cast their votes, they will see colored photographs of candidates alongside their names on the EVM ballot, and voter slips will also have names printed in larger fonts to make it easier for voters to find their polling booths. He also announced that voters will now be allowed to carry their mobile phones up to the outer area of polling stations – a facility being introduced. The Chief Election Commissioner further stated that political parties will be permitted to set up polling agent booths just 100 meters from polling stations, which will help enhance public confidence in the democratic process. He also mentioned the progressive implementation of the ECI Net application and said this one-stop solution will foray all stakeholders of polls into a new era of tech-savvy electioneering.
He said that the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar was conducted with great accuracy and completed with the cooperation and dedication of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at over 90,000 polling stations. Mr Kumar praised the work of all BLOs, noting that as a result, there were very few claims and objections regarding the draft voter list. He added that awareness among people about the issue of dual registration in voter lists had increased, and therefore, 3.66 lakh voters voluntarily applied to have their names removed from the voter list. The Chief Election Commissioner said that the revision of the electoral rolls is legally valid and that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign was conducted under the Representation of the People Act. He acknowledged that there had been some criticism of the exercise of SIR but emphasised that a large number of voters, political parties, and other stakeholders of democracy had widely welcomed it. He further stated that the successful completion of the SIR in Bihar would serve as an inspiration for voter list purification across the country. The CEC mentioned the genesis of democracy in Vaishali and expressed belief that, like Vaishali, the SIR will show the light to the country for the pan-India purification of the Electoral Roll through SIR. He expressed gratitude to the BLOs and other officials for their dedicated work.
Mr Kumar said that revising the electoral rolls after elections does not appear to be justified, as the SIR has already ensured a thorough purification of the voter list. Regarding the use of Aadhaar, the Chief Election Commissioner clarified that, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive, the Commission is accepting Aadhaar details from voters. However, he emphasised that citizenship of India is a mandatory legal requirement for the right to vote. He added that although Aadhaar was collected during the SIR process, it cannot be considered valid proof of residence, date of birth, or citizenship. Therefore, other documents prescribed by the Commission are required for voter registration and enrollment. Earlier, under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commission team held extensive deliberations over two days regarding the preparations for the Assembly elections. The full team included Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi.
On the first day, the Commission interacted with 12 recognised political parties and received their suggestions regarding polling arrangements. It also held meetings with District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police, and senior police officers from all 38 districts. On the second day, the Commission met with heads and nodal officers of various enforcement agencies, state and central police officials, the Chief Secretary, and the Director General of Police in separate sessions.