New Delhi, Oct 6: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced that the Bihar Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results to be declared on November 14.
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.” He assured that the elections would be “exemplary, smooth, and the most peaceful,” with a strong focus on law and order.
This will be the first Assembly election in Bihar following the purification of electoral rolls under a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) after 22 years, resulting in a final voters’ list of 7.43 crore electors, including 14 lakh first-time voters. The CEC said the final rolls had been shared with all political parties, and corrections could be requested up to 10 days before nominations open.
To counter misinformation, the poll panel will establish district-level monitoring systems against fake news and deploy one observer for each of the 243 constituencies — a first for the state.
The ECI’s announcement came a day after it reviewed Bihar’s poll preparedness and met representatives from major political parties. The term of the current Assembly ends on November 22.
Sources said the election schedule was designed to avoid clashes with major festivals like Diwali and Chhath, ensuring smooth polling and higher voter participation.
The 2025 election is expected to be a high-stakes contest between the ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance and the opposition Mahagathbandhan led by the RJD and Congress, with Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party emerging as a new player.
To improve voter experience, each polling booth will serve 1,200 voters instead of 1,500, increasing the total to 90,000 booths, with additional central forces deployed for security.
