Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement Updates: Bihar to vote in 3 phases between 28 Oct and 7 Nov, results on 10 Nov, announces EC

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

Not 'dare', but leap of faith, says CEC on planning Bihar polls schedule

The Election Commission does not believe Bihar polls are a ‘dare’. It’s a leap of faith not a leap in the dark as we have done meticulous planning, said CEC Sunil Arora on Friday. 

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

Decision on by-polls to be taken on 29 Sept: Sunil Arora

A meeting has been called on 29 September by-election, due in one Lok Sabha constituency and 64 Assembly seats, to review objections of few states to poll timing, says CEC Sunil Arora on Friday.

Bypolls to be announced after the meeting.

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

First phase of polling on 28 Oct: Sunil Arora

Polling for first phase to be held on 28 October. The second phase polling will be held on 3 November while the third phase will be on 7 November, said CEC Sunil Arora on Friday.

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

Counting of votes on 10 Nov, says CEC

Assembly elections in Bihar will be held in three phases between 28 October and 7 November. Counting of votes will take place on 10 November, said Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

Bihar Assembly polls to be held in three phases

First phase:  71 constituencies in 16 districts; approx 31,000 polling stations

Second phase: 94 constituencies in 17 districts will go to polls; approx 42,000 polling stations

Third phase: 78 constituencies in 15 districts, approx 33,000 polling stations

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

Action to be taken against those misusing social media

Anybody who makes misuse of social media to foment trouble shall have to face consequences as per the law of the land. Social media platforms should make adequate arrangements to prevent misuse of their platform, said CEC Sunil Arora on Friday.

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MCC stands enforced, says CEC

"The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) stands enforced with this announcement. The poll body has already made elaborate arrangements for ensuring the effective implementation of MCC guidelines," said Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

Polling time increased by an hour

Announcing the poll schedule for Bihar, CEC Sunil Arora on Friday said that the polling time has been increased by an hour to avoid crowding of polling stations and allow free movement of voters.

"It'll be held from 7 am-6 pm, instead of 7am-5 pm earlier. However, this will not be applicable to Left-wing affected areas," said Arora. 

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CEC announces arrangements to ensure COVID-19 guidelines

Over 7 lakh hand sanitiser units, about 46 lakh masks, 6 lakh PPE kits, 6.7 lakh units of faces-shields, 23 lakh (pairs of) hand gloves arranged. For voters specifically, 7.2 crore single-use hand gloves arranged, said Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Friday.

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

CEC announces COVID-19 preventive measures

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said that the poll body has held several interactions with CEO of Bihar and some of the arrangements being made for assembly elections amid COVID-19 are as follows: 

1) 7 lakh sanitizers
2) 46 lakh masks
3) 6 lakh PPE kits
4) 7.6 lakh units of face shields
5) 23 lakh unit of hand gloves

Per polling station to allow 1,000 voters, says CEC

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Friday said that per polling stations in Bihar will have 1,000 voters to facilitate social distancing guidelines. "This will raise number of polling stations to over 1 lakh in 2020 from 65,337 in 2015 poll," said Arora.

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Bihar DGP takes voluntary retirement, likely to contest polls as NDA candidate

Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, a 1987-batch IPS officer, on Tuesday took voluntary retirement from service. He is likely to contest the upcoming Assembly election as a ruling NDA candidate either from Buxar or Shahpur constituency. 

Mr. Pandey, who was appointed as DGP on 31 January, 2019, was to retire from service on 28 February, 2021. 

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SC refuses to entertain plea to defer Bihar Assembly polls

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking to postpone the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A three-judge bench of justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah also refused to grant liberty to the petitioner to give representation to the election commission in this regard.

"We can't permit everybody to go to the election commission. We can only permit you to withdraw the petition," the bench said.

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First state election to be held in Bihar amid COVID-19 

A team of Deputy Election Commissioners had returned from Bihar and submitted their report on the feasibility of conducting polls to the Commission. On the impact of COVID-19 on the election, the CEC has highlighted how social distancing measures have been introduced to safely conduct the polls.

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EC issues set of guidelines for polls

"Hand gloves shall be provided to all the electors for signing on the voter register and pressing button of EVM for voting," it said, adding that face masks, sanitisers, thermal scanners, gloves, face shields and personal protective equipment kits "shall be used during the electoral process ensuring social distancing norms."

According to the Health Ministry guidelines, electors will have to stand six feet-apart at polling booths. Soap, water and hand sanitisers will be made available at the entry point. Thermal scanning will also be conducted at all polling booths.

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Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP set to quit Opposition alliance in Bihar

Indicating Rashtriya Lok Samta Party's (RLSP) exit from the opposition alliance in Bihar, party chief Upendra Kushwaha called an urgent meeting in Patna and made it clear that leadership of RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav was not acceptable to him. 

Kushwaha on Thursday stopped short of announcing RLSP's exit from the Grand Alliance saying "we are left with little option but to explore a new political course, unless the RJD changes immediately its rigid stance on leadership issue" ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.

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Bihar will elect new 243-member Assembly in Oct

Bihar is likely to go to polls in October to elect its new 243-member Assembly by 29 November. They will be held in more than one phase, keeping in mind the COVID-19 guidelines and social distancing norms.

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

By-election dates for other states to be announced

Bihar Election 2020 Date Announcement LATEST Updates

EC to announce poll dates at 12.30 pm 

The Election Commission will announce the dates for Bihar Assembly election, the first major state election to be held amid the coronavirus pandemic, in a press conference at 12.30 pm on Friday.