Bihar elections 2025: CEC Gyanesh Kumar reviews poll preparedness
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Patna: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday reviewed preparations for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections, 2025, in a meeting with the state’s Chief Electoral Officer and nodal officers from the police and Central Armed Police Forces, an official said.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) held discussions with enforcement agencies to assess and strengthen measures aimed at curbing the misuse of money and muscle power, two major challenges in Bihar’s electoral landscape, the official added.
On the second day of the ECI team’s visit, senior officials from the Income Tax Department, police, and other enforcement agencies were consulted to review action plans for ensuring transparency and integrity in the elections. The talks focused on enhancing inter-agency coordination, intensifying vigilance, and deploying targeted strategies to ensure a level playing field for all political parties.
The Chief Electoral Officer, State Police Nodal Officer, and representatives of Central security forces briefed CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi on operational preparedness. This was followed by a high-level review of state-level coordination with the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, and other senior bureaucrats.
On Saturday, CEC Gyanesh Kumar held consultations with representatives of major national and regional parties, including BJP, Congress, JD(U), RJD, LJP (Ram Vilas), RLJP, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML-Liberation), BSP, AAP, and NPP. The Commission described political parties as “significant stakeholders of a strong democracy” and urged them to actively participate in the electoral process by appointing polling and counting agents, while encouraging elections to be celebrated in a festive and inclusive manner.
Political parties appreciated the ECI’s efforts in completing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and cleansing the electoral rolls. They requested that elections be scheduled soon after the Chhath festival and conducted in fewer phases to boost voter turnout. Parties also welcomed reforms such as capping electors per polling station at 1,200, timely postal ballot counting, and the mandatory handover of Form 17C to party agents after polling.
With IANS inputs
