Voting for Bihar assembly elections will be held in three phases -- first on October 28, second on November 3 and the third on November 7, while counting of all votes will take place on November 10, the Election Commission announced on Friday. Announcing the poll schedule for the 243-member Bihar assembly, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said this election will be one of the biggest elections globally held amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the voting time will be extended by one hour and votes could be cast from 7 am till 6 pm, except for in the Left-Wing Extremism-affect areas. Covid-19 patients can vote in the last hour of the day, Arora said. He also added that special arrangements have been made for Covid-19 positive patients to caste their vote. The EC said 7 lakh hand sanitisers, 46 lakh masks, 6 lakh PPE kits, 6.7 lakh face shields and 23 lakh pairs of hand gloves have been arranged for Bihar polls. Postal ballot facility will be provided wherever required and requested. Social distancing norms will need to be followed at public gatherings during the poll campaign.
Arora further said anyone using social media for mischievous purposes, such as for flaring communal tension, during elections will have to face consequences, while hate speech will be also dealt with harshly by the Election Commission. He said the number of phases for 243-member Bihar assembly polls has been reduced keeping in mind security arrangements and festive season, among other factors.
Voting for the first phase on October 28 will cover 71 assembly constituencies, while the second-phase voting on November 3 will cover 94 seats. The third phase of voting on November 7 will cover 78 assembly seats. Counting of votes for all seats will take place on November 10.
