EC keeps a close eye on Bihar election preparations

Dr. Vivek Joshi, Election Commissioner of India, attended several high-level meetings in Patna during his four-day visit to Bihar. He held meetings with Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjial, State Police Nodal Officer Kundan Krishnan, District Election Officer Patna Chandrashekhar Singh, SSP Avkash Kumar and other officials of the administrative and election departments to review the preparations for the 2025 Bihar Assembly general elections.

The main topics discussed in these meetings were election preparations in accordance with the Model Code of Conduct, special revision of the electoral roll, progress of SVEEP activities, security arrangements to ensure peaceful voting, special facilities for disabled and elderly voters, and grievance redressal mechanism.

Election Commissioner Dr. Joshi stressed on ensuring a transparent and active electoral process. He directed the officials to discharge their duties in a timely and impartial manner, and urged them to ensure active participation of political parties.

 The state has been directed to ensure minimum facilities at 77,895 polling stations. Out of about 7.80 crore voters, the enrolment rate of 18-19 years is very low - only 8.08 lakh, while the total number of voters in this age group is about 64 lakh. Expressing concern over the issue, Dr. Joshi directed to focus on the registration of young voters.

He also expressed dissatisfaction over the low voter turnout in Bihar. Voter turnout in the last Lok Sabha elections was 56.28%, much lower than the national average of 66.10%. He directed to implement micro-level strategies and regular reviews by the Commission to increase this rate.

Dr. Joshi also stressed on ensuring special facilities for 7.69 lakh disabled voters and 5.91 lakh voters above 85 years.

 As part of the visit, he will observe the First Level Checking (FLC) of EVMs and VVPATs in Motihari, hold various review meetings in Bettiah and Bhairabnagar, and visit training centres and polling stations. The Election Commission aims to conduct peaceful, transparent and inclusive elections in the state.