Sources have told The Daily Guardian that the Bihar Assembly election date can be announced anytime after 10 September. Along with the Bihar Assembly, there will also be a byelection for one seat of Lok Sabha in Bihar and 64 seats of recently vacated assembly of several states.
According to highly placed sources of the Election Commission, the prospects are more likely around 13 September. The term of the Bihar Legislative Assembly is till 29 November. According to EC sources, the voting for the election is possible in three phases. The election process should be completed after Dussehra and in the period of 20 days before Diwali. It is also possible that the areas most prone to flooding should be voted in the last phase.
According to EC sources, before Dhanteras, there will be an effort to complete the election process all phases of voting and counting. On 4 September, the EC had issued a statement and said: “Considering that General Assembly elections of Bihar are also due and required to be completed before 29 November, the Commission has decided to conduct all the 65 by-elections and the General Assembly elections of Bihar around the same time.”
This development affirms The Daily Guardian’s report from 12 August, when this paper had published the Election Commission’s deliberations to ensure timely elections in Bihar.
One of the major factors in clubbing them together is the relative ease of movement of CAPF/other law and order forces, and related logistics issues, the statement said.
The EC also said, “The Commission reviewed the reports and inputs from Chief Secretaries/Chief Electoral Officers of many of the states concerned seeking deferment of the by-elections in their states in view of several factors including the extraordinary heavy rains in some places and other constraints like pandemic etc.”
On 12 August, the Election Commission had rejected demands by political parties in Bihar, including Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) to postpone the Assembly elections in the state.
The political parties in Bihar, including RJD and LJP, had written a letter to the EC, saying it is not advisable to put lives of lakhs of people at risk by holding elections at this time.
Assembly elections will also need 45% more polling booths compared to the 2015 polls, to ensure adherence with social distancing norms during voting. The tenure of the Assembly will end in Bihar on 29 November.