New Delhi, Nov 4 (NationPress) On Tuesday, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar officially flagged off a group of 14 delegates participating in the International Election Visitors’ Programme 2025. These individuals will observe the voting process during the first phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections scheduled for November 6, according to an official report.

The delegates hail from seven countries: France, South Africa, Belgium, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Colombia. They were present at the inaugural session of this significant program organized by the Election Commission of India at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).

During the session, the delegates received a comprehensive demonstration of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and participated in a presentation led by senior officials from the ECI. This covered various election-related topics, including the preparation of Electoral Rolls and the overall conduct of elections in India, as stated by the official.

The IEVP offers a two-day tour of Bihar from November 5-6, allowing delegates to visit EVM dispatch centers and witness the polling firsthand on November 6.

This program serves as a flagship initiative by the ECI aimed at fostering international collaboration and engagement with other Election Management Bodies (EMBs) globally.

Since its inception in 2014, the IEVP has been instrumental in showcasing the strengths of India’s electoral system to the international community, sharing best practices from the world’s largest democracy regarding election conduct, as noted in the official statement.

The campaigning period for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections concluded on Tuesday evening. Voters in this phase will cast their ballots in 121 Assembly constituencies across 18 districts.

In total, the political fate of 1,314 candidates will be determined by over 37.5 million voters.

Polling will take place in key regions, including Patna, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Buxar, and Bhojpur districts.

On the final day of campaigning, prominent campaigners and senior leaders from both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan made their last efforts to sway voters in support of their candidates.

The second phase of polling will encompass 122 assembly constituencies across 20 districts on November 11, with vote counting set for November 14. A total of 90,712 polling booths will be established for over 74.3 million voters throughout the state.