Election Commission press conference highlights: Counting of Bihar Assembly elections to be on November 10

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Bihar to vote between Oct 28 and Nov 7 in first Covid-19 era elections

Over 7.29 crore people of Bihar are expected to cast votes between October 28 and November 7 next to elect 243 members of the state legislative assembly in the first direct polls of the country in the Covid-19 era.The Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule of the assembly polls in Bihar on Friday. The polling will be conducted in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7. The votes will be counted on November 10.

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EC announces dates for Bihar polls: Key things to know

Key things to know:

1. The term of the 243-member Bihar legislative assembly comes to an end on November 29.

2. Bihar assembly has a strength of 243 members, of whom 38 seats are reserved for SCs and two for STs
3. EC Commissioner Sunil Arora says stringent health and safety protocols will be implemented in these elections. Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 is likely to be one of the biggest elections in the Covid-19 terms, said Arora.

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Bihar to vote in three phases on October 28, November 3 and 7. The results will be announced on November 10.

Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 to be held in three phases:

Phase 1: 71 Assembly Constituencies in 17 districts
Phase 2: 97 Assembly Constituencies in 16 districts
Phase 3: 78 Assembly Constituencies in 15 districts

Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 to be held in three phases, says Arora.

The postal ballot facility will be provided wherever required and requested, saysArora.

The number of phases to hold elections has been reduced and the overall time duration of the polls has been curtailed too, says Arora.

The social media platforms are expected to make adequate arrangements to safeguard against misuse of their platforms andset up strict protocols to handle such issues as and when they arise, says Arora.

Social distancing norms will need to be followed at public gatherings during the election campaign, says the CEC.

All polling stations will be established on the ground floor and all voters will be made to undergo thermal screening, says Arora.

The Model Code of Conduct will be in place with announcement of election dates, says CEC Sunil Arora.

Some of the arrangements being made for conducting Assembly elections amid coronavirus are as follows:

* 7 lakh sanitizers
* 46 lakh masks
* 6 lakh PPE kits
* 7.6 lakh units of face shields
* 23 lakh unit of hand gloves

Arora says election campaigns can be held while maintaining social distancing.

Covid-19 patients who're quarantined will be able to cast their vote on the last day of poll, at their respective polling stations, under the supervision of health authorities. This is beside the option of the postal facility already extended to them, says CEC Sunil Arora.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a new normal in all aspects of life.Bihar polls to be held under new security protocols, says Arora.

Arora says special provisions will be provided to Covid-19 positive patients.

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, says Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

Polling time increased by an hour

Polling will held from 7 am to 6 pm. In LWE-affected areas it will end at 5 pm, says Arora.

He says more number of polling booths are being marked so that voters can maintain social distancing. Also, the number of voters in each booth has been reduced from 1,500 to 1,000.

Arora lists the measures taken by the Election Commission to mitigate risks of Covid-19.

Bihar assembly has a strength of 243 members, of whom 38 seats are reserved for SCs and two for STs, says Chief Election Commissioner.

Over1.75 lakh VVPATS will be deployed in the Bihar Assembly Elections, says Arora.

The term of the 243-member Bihar legislative assembly comes to an end on November 29.

Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 is likely to be one of the biggest elections in the Covid-19 terms, says Arora.

Arora says stringent health and safety protocols will be implemented in these elections.

The world has changed significantly since the last election in the country and certainly not for the better, saysChief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora.

TheElection Commission of India will announce the polling dates for Bihar Assembly Election shortly.

Polls in the time of Pandemic: Bihar to witness country's first direct elections during Covid-19 era

The Election Commission (EC) is set to announce the schedule of the assembly polls in Bihar on Friday. The commission held indirect polls to fill vacancies in the Rajya Sabha and the legislative councils in the states over the past few months, but the general elections to the Bihar Legislative Assembly will be the first direct one to take place after the Covid-19 pandemic swept the country.

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Among the 64 vacant assembly seats, 27 are in Madhya Pradesh. Most of these 27 seats fell vacant when rebel Congress members resigned from the party and the assembly to join the BJP.

The bypoll to the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat in Bihar has been pending.

The Commission is likely to announce the schedule for the by-election to one Lok Sabha and 64 assembly seats spread across 15 states.

The term of the 243-member Bihar legislative assembly comes to an end on November 29.