Bihar Assembly Elections on November 6 and 11, Results to Be Declared on November 14
GG News Bureau
Patna, October 6: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday released the dates for the highly anticipated Bihar Assembly elections. The voting will be done in two phases — November 6 and November 11, while the votes will be counted on November 14, stage-setting a high-octane political battle in the state.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, informed that the model code of conduct has taken effect immediately throughout Bihar. The term of the existing Bihar Legislative Assembly expires in November 2025, which requires the elections to form a new government.
Two-phase polling plan
The voting in the first phase on November 6 will take place in areas of western and central Bihar covering districts such as Gaya, Nalanda, Aurangabad, and Patna. The second phase of voting on November 11 will see eastern and northern districts of Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, and Purnia.
All polling stations will have Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with VVPAT. The Commission has also stressed conducting free, fair, and transparent elections with a strict limit on expenditures and COVID-era hygiene measures like sanitization and social distancing.
Political landscape
The Bihar polls are likely to see a fierce contest between the incumbent Janata Dal (United)-BJP coalition and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Congress-Left coalition. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is looking to return to power relying on his government’s track record in infrastructure and social welfare, while the RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav is looking to rally youth and jobless voters under his “Naya Bihar” promise.
Regional parties such as HAM, VIP, and AIMIM are also set to perform important roles in some constituencies.
Security and logistics
ECI will send more than two lakh security personnel, including central paramilitary units, to ensure peaceful polling. More than 7 crore voters are entitled to cast their vote in over 70,000 polling stations.
This will be one of the most keenly contested state elections before the 2026 assembly polls and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Bihar is regarded by political watchers as a barometer of national mood, considering the state’s past history of caste combinations, developmental politics, and coalition experiments.
