New Delhi, Oct 6 (NationPress) The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to occur in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results being announced on November 14, as confirmed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday.

During a press briefing, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, labeled the Bihar elections as the “mother of all elections”.

“We want to assure the voters of Bihar that we will conduct elections that are not only exemplary and smooth but also peaceful, with a strong emphasis on maintaining law and order,” he stated.

The 2025 Assembly elections will be the first held in the eastern state after a comprehensive revision of the electoral rolls through a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), resulting in a final voters’ list of 7.43 crore electors, including 14 lakh first-time voters.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar provided details about the SIR process, which took place after a span of 22 years, and noted that the final electoral roll has been shared with all political parties.

“The deadline for requesting corrections in the electoral rolls is set for 10 days prior to the filing of nomination papers by candidates for the upcoming elections,” he added.

Additionally, he outlined the poll panel’s strategy to combat any form of “fake news”, particularly on social media, at the district level to tackle misinformation.

Each of the 243 constituencies will have its dedicated observer, as opposed to the prior arrangement where one observer covered multiple seats.

The announcement of the Bihar Assembly election dates follows the conclusion of the poll panel’s review of election preparedness in the state, which included meetings with representatives of major political parties and assessments of logistical setups.

The current 243-member Bihar Assembly is set to dissolve on November 22, necessitating the elections to be conducted before that date. The 2020 Bihar Assembly elections were conducted in three phases.

Reports suggest that the election schedule has been meticulously arranged to avoid conflicts with major festivals like Diwali and Chhath, which are celebrated between October 18 and October 28. This planning aims to facilitate smooth polling and maximize voter turnout.

The 2025 elections are anticipated to be a highly competitive battle between the ruling coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (United), and the opposing coalition known as the Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress.

A new contender in the race is Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, which aims to establish itself as a viable alternative in Bihar's political landscape.

In the previous Assembly elections held in 2020, the National Democratic Alliance achieved a majority with 125 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan secured 110 seats. The RJD was the single largest party with 75 seats. That election was significant as it marked the first major electoral exercise following the Covid-19 pandemic, with a voter turnout of 56.93 percent.

This year, the Election Commission has implemented changes to enhance the voting experience, including reducing the number of voters per polling booth from 1,500 to 1,200, and increasing the number of polling booths throughout the state. A total of 90,000 polling stations will be established by the poll panel.

This adjustment will necessitate the additional deployment of Central Armed Police Forces to ensure security and smooth operations.