The second day of the Commission's meetings is scheduled as follows:
Today, the Election Commission is meeting with senior officials from the Income Tax Department, police, and other enforcement agencies to review action plans aimed at ensuring transparency and integrity in the upcoming elections. These discussions are focused on strengthening inter-agency coordination, enhancing vigilance, and implementing targeted strategies to maintain a level playing field for all political parties.
Later, the Commission will conduct strategic meetings with the Chief Electoral Officer, the State Police Nodal Officer, and representatives of central security forces to assess operational readiness. This will be followed by a high-level review of overall state-level coordination with the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, and other senior bureaucrats.
At 2 pm, the poll body will hold a press conference to update the media on key developments, including a summary of preparedness measures reviewed so far, feedback from political parties, and the roadmap for the coming weeks.
- 9:30-11 am: Meeting with enforcement agencies involved in the election process.
- 11:30 am-12 pm: Review session with the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar Police, and Central Force nodal officers.
- 12-1 pm: Meeting with the Chief Secretary, DGP, and other senior officials.
- 2 pm: Press conference by the Chief Election Commissioner at Hotel Taj to provide updates on preparations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
EC meeting with political parties
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday chaired a key meeting with representatives of several political parties in Bihar. During their interaction with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, the political parties kept several demands, but all agreed that the elections should be conducted in minimal phases and only after Chhath, which is an important festival in Bihar.
Following the meeting, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JD-U) said it has urged the poll body to ensure that elections are held in just one phase like 2024 Maharashtra polls. It must be noted that the previous elections in Bihar were held in three phases.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an ally of the JD-U, also said that the elections should be held in one or two phases. It also urged the poll body to identify women turning up at booths in burqa. Speaking to reporters, BJP's Bihar unit chief Dilip Jaiswal said the saffron party has also demanded that adequate paramilitary forces should be deployed in villages "with a heavy population of weaker sections".
Although Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) agreed that elections should be held in one or two phases, it slammed the BJP over its demand of verification of burqa-clad voters. Abhay Kushwaha, who led the RJD delegation, dismissed BJP's demand, calling it a political ploy to push the saffron party's agenda.
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