EC Announces 17 new initiatives for upcoming Bihar Assembly Polls; to be adopted Nationwide later

The Election Commission of India has announced the introduction of 17 new initiatives ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar to enhance the electoral process in the state.

Addressing a press conference after reviewing the preparation of the upcoming election in Patna, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said these news reforms will serve as models for nationwide implementation in the future.

Outlining some of the key initiatives, he added that webcasting will be implemented at all polling stations. 

He informed that 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.

Gyanesh Kumar 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 for the first time.

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.

The Election Commissioner further stated that 100 per cent webcasting will be carried out at all polling stations across Bihar to enhance transparency. 

Talking about the Special Summary Revision (SSR), Gyanesh Kumar said the SSR of the electoral rolls in Bihar was conducted with great accuracy and successfully completed with the cooperation and dedication of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at over 90,000 polling stations.

Gyanesh 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.

Gyanesh Kumar further stated that the successful completion of the SIR in Bihar would serve as an inspiration for voter list purification across the country.

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.