In Bihar, stage is set for the first phase of assembly elections in 121 constituencies across 18 districts tomorrow. These include Patna, Vaishali, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Munger, Saran, Siwan, Begusarai, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Madhepura, and Saharsa. Polling will begin at 7 AM and continue till 6 in the evening. However, due to security reasons, voting will conclude at 5 PM in Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur, Munger, Jamalpur, and in 56 polling booths of the Suryagarha Assembly segment.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure free, fair, and peaceful polling. A state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre has been set up to monitor the poll process, with webcasting from all 45,341 polling stations. Central Armed Police Forces, along with state police, have been deployed across all polling stations. To promote women’s empowerment, 926 all-women-managed booths and 107 booths managed by Divyangjan (specially-abled) personnel have been established. Additionally, 320 model booths have been set up with enhanced facilities for voters.
A special control room has been established at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Patna. Voters can register complaints on phone number 0612-2824001, fax 0612-2215611, or email ceo_bihar@eci.gov.in and ceobihar@gmail.com. Several voter-centric initiatives, including mobile deposit facilities, will also be available during the elections.
