New Delhi, October 8: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced that the Bihar assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with votes to be counted on November 14.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the polls will cover all 243 constituencies, with 121 voting in the first phase and 122 in the second. The term of the current Bihar assembly ends on November 22.
More than 7.4 crore people are eligible to vote, including around 1.4 million first-time voters, Kumar said, adding that the election would be conducted in a “transparent and peaceful” manner.
The ECI also unveiled 17 new measures for the polls, including compulsory webcasting and mobile phone–deposit facilities at all polling stations, in a bid to strengthen monitoring and transparency.
Reacting to the announcement, Congress leader Manickam Tagore said the opposition INDIA alliance was “hundred per cent ready” for the polls. He accused the poll body of creating hurdles, including the deletion of about 6 million voter names, and alleged that the election schedule had been manipulated to allow the ruling coalition to announce welfare schemes.
“We have faith that Modi and Nitish cannot fool us. People will vote on real issues, and the INDIA alliance will win,” Tagore said.
