Bihar elections 2025: 17 new initiatives announced by Election Commission to be rolled out nationwide
'Mother of all elections' will set benchmark for cleaner rolls, tech-driven polls: CEC
Dubai: The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases — on November 6 and 11 — with results declared on November 14, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, described the upcoming polls as the “mother of all elections.”
“We want to assure Bihar voters that the elections will be exemplary, smooth, and the most peaceful, with a special focus on law and order,” Gyanesh Kumar said.
The term of the current 243-member Assembly ends on November 22, making the elections mandatory before that date.
Two-phase schedule
Voting for 121 constituencies will be held in the first phase, and 122 in the second. The 2020 Assembly elections were conducted in three phases.
The 2025 polls are set to be a high-stakes battle between the BJP–Janata Dal (United) alliance and the Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. Political strategist Prashant Kishor will make his electoral debut with his Jan Suraaj Party, contesting all 243 seats.
In 2020, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 125 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan secured 110. The RJD emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats.
Voter roll overhaul after 22 years
These elections follow a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls conducted after 22 years, which “purified” the lists and resulted in 7.43 crore electors, including 14 lakh first-time voters.
The final rolls have been shared with political parties, and corrections can be made up to 10 days before nominations. The Commission has also set up district-level monitoring units to counter misinformation and fake news on social media.
Each of Bihar’s 243 constituencies will have a dedicated observer for the first time, replacing the earlier practice of shared oversight.
Expanded polling network
The ECI will establish around 90,000 polling stations across Bihar, with each serving a maximum of 1,200 voters instead of 1,500. The measure aims to cut crowding and waiting times.
The expanded network will require additional deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to ensure secure and efficient voting.
The Election Commission said the Bihar polls will serve as a testing ground for 17 new initiatives, which will later be adopted across India.
Key reforms include:
Training of booth-level agents (BLAs): Political party agents trained in voter roll management and appeal processes under the RP Act, 1950.
Training of booth-level officers (BLOs): Over 7,000 BLOs and supervisors trained at IIIDEM, New Delhi.
Police sensitisation: Special training sessions for Bihar Police to reinforce law-and-order preparedness.
Special Intensive Revision: Purification of electoral rolls to ensure inclusion of eligible and exclusion of ineligible voters.
Enhanced remuneration: Doubled pay for BLOs; increased allowances for polling staff, supervisors, CAPF, and micro-observers; first-ever honorarium for EROs and AEROs.
Free delivery of voter IDs (EPIC): New SOP ensures delivery within 15 days of updates, with SMS tracking notifications.
Photo ID cards for BLOs: Standardised IDs issued to enhance field-level transparency and public trust.
Mobile deposit counters: Introduced outside polling stations for voters to safely deposit mobile phones.
Improved voter information slips: Redesigned slips with clearer serial and part numbers.
Digital one-stop platform (ECINet App): Real-time voter turnout updates every two hours on polling day.
Polling-station limit of 1,200 voters: Reduces crowding and improves access in high-density areas.
Candidate booths placement: Permitted just beyond 100 metres of polling stations for issuing unofficial identity slips.
100% webcasting: Live monitoring to prevent irregularities and ensure transparency.
EVM ballot paper redesign: Improved readability and inclusion of candidates’ colour photographs for the first time.
Mandatory VVPAT count for mismatches: Slip verification required wherever discrepancies occur between Form 17C and EVM data.
Streamlined postal-ballot counting: EVM counting in the penultimate round only after postal ballots are tallied.
Digital index cards and reports: Constituency-level election data digitised for public and stakeholder access.
EC’s confidence and outlook
CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the Bihar polls will showcase the Commission’s commitment to clean, transparent, and technology-driven elections, setting a template for other states.
“The Bihar elections will show the rest of the country the path towards the purification of voter rolls,” he said.
The Election Commission has also announced eight Assembly bye-elections, including two in Jammu and Kashmir (one in Budgam), and one each in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Telangana, Punjab, Mizoram, and Odisha.
-- with inputs from IANS
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