Bihar Election 2025 Dates: State Set To Witness Polling In 2 Phases, Results To Be Declared On Nov 14
Bihar Assembly Election 2025 Schedule: CEC Gyanesh Kumar announced the Bihar Assembly election dates in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be out on November 14.
Bihar Assembly Election 2025 Schedule: The Election Commission of India on Monday unveiled the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections, announcing that the polls will take place in two phases—on November 6 and November 11—with the counting of votes set for November 14. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar described the state election as “the mother of all elections.”
The entire poll process will conclude before November 22, the date when the current Assembly’s term ends, Kumar said at a press conference in Delhi.
7.42 Crore Voters to Cast Ballots Across 90,712 Polling Stations
According to CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Bihar has 7.42 crore registered voters, including 3.92 crore men, 3.5 crore women, and 14 lakh first-time voters. The poll panel also noted that 14,000 voters are above 100 years of age. A total of 90,712 polling stations will be set up across the state.
Kumar informed that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had been completed to ensure accuracy.
“The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sanitised the electoral rolls. All political parties and individuals were invited to file objections and claims once the draft was published. The final draft was published on September 30,” he said.
He added that voters whose names are missing from the rolls can still get them added before the nomination process.
“If anyone’s name has been left out, it can be added up to ten days before the nomination process. Once nominations are completed, the finalised voter list will be used for the elections, and no further names can be added,” Kumar said, as quoted by IANS.
The Chief Election Commissioner also mentioned that after an extensive review visit to Bihar by the full Election Commission team, it was decided to announce the dates on Monday.
Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says, "If anyone’s name has been left out, it can be added up to ten days before the nomination process. Once nominations are completed, the finalized voter list will be used for the elections, and no further names can be added.… pic.twitter.com/2WoRqBn8Oq
— IANS (@ians_india) October 6, 2025
Bihar Assembly Election 2025: Two-Phase Schedule and Constituency Details
In the first phase, 121 constituencies will go to the polls, while 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase, making up the total of 243 Assembly seats, including 38 reserved for Scheduled Castes and two for Scheduled Tribes.
For the first phase, the last date for filing nominations is October 17, with scrutiny on October 18 and withdrawal of candidature by October 20. For the second phase, nominations close on October 20, scrutiny is on October 21, and withdrawal by October 23.
Kumar also emphasised the need to complete counting of postal ballots before the final two rounds of vote counting.
Bihar Assembly Election 2025: Anganwadi Workers to Verify Burqa-Clad Voters
Addressing a question regarding identity verification of women wearing burqas or ghunghats, Kumar stated that Anganwadi workers would be stationed at all polling booths to assist in verifying voter identities.
“Our Anganwadi workers will be deployed at all polling booths for verifying the identity of burqa-clad women. The guidelines of the commission are very clear about this — that how identity is verified inside a polling station and they will be strictly followed,” the CEC said.
This comes days after Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal urged the Election Commission to ensure proper identification of women voters wearing burqas.
Bihar Assembly Election 2025: Mobile Phone Deposit Counters at Polling Stations
In a move aimed at improving convenience for voters, the Election Commission will establish mobile phone deposit counters outside polling booths across Bihar.
“Recognising the increasing coverage and usage of mobile phones in the urban and rural areas, and the challenges faced not only by the voters at large but also senior citizens, women and persons with disabilities in managing mobile phones on polling day, the Commission has decided to allow a mobile deposit facility just outside the polling stations,” Kumar announced.
He clarified that only mobile phones will be permitted within 100 metres of the polling station, and that too in switched-off mode. Simple pigeonhole boxes or jute bags will be placed at the entrance for voters to deposit their phones.
Bihar Assembly Election 2025: Police to Patrol on Horseback in Diara Region
Kumar also revealed unique logistical arrangements for remote areas, particularly Bihar’s Diara region.
“In Diara region, patrolling will be done by police using horses in at least 250 polling stations. Similarly, polling parties will travel by boat in 197 polling stations,” he said.
He added that the ballot papers on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will now feature colour photographs of candidates—a change introduced to improve clarity for voters, as earlier black-and-white images had caused confusion. The serial numbers on EVMs will also be displayed more prominently.
Bihar Voters’ List Purified After 22 Years: CEC On Nationwide Replication of Key Poll Initiatives
CEC Gyanesh Kumar announced on Sunday that the voters’ list in Bihar has been purified following the successful completion of a special intensive revision (SIR), marking the first such comprehensive cleansing exercise in 22 years.
Addressing a press conference in Patna at the end of a two-day state tour, the CEC, accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, stated that this achievement and other initiatives being introduced for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls would soon be “replicated across the country in due course.”
The visiting team met with representatives of political parties to receive feedback and held detailed discussions with officials regarding poll preparedness for the 243-member Bihar assembly, which includes “38 constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes and another two for Scheduled Tribes.”
New Initiatives for Transparent Polling
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is rolling out several new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Bihar to enhance the voting process and ensure transparency, which are set to become models for other states.
One key measure is a new SOP to guarantee that EPIC cards are delivered to voters within 15 days of registration. Furthermore, to manage crowd density and logistics at polling stations, the CEC noted, “In order to prevent overcrowding of polling stations, it has been decided that no booth shall have more than 1,200 voters.”
Ease of voting is also a priority. “To make the voting exercise easier for the electors, mobile deposit facility is being introduced at booths,” Kumar said, without elaborating on the mechanism of the facility.
Other major technological and verification features were also highlighted: “Other new features include 100 per cent webcasting at all polling booths and mandatory verification of VVPAT slips in case of complaints of mismatch in EVM data,” he stated.
Massive Revision Purges 68 Lakh Names
The intensive revision process resulted in the removal of approximately 68.66 lakh voter names from the electoral roll.
The CEC revealed that the names of 65 lakh voters had been struck off before the draft roll was published in August. Following this, “Another 3.66 lakh names were removed during the month-long period of claims and objections that followed.”
The removal was based on statutory grounds for ineligibility, as those whose names were removed were found to be “either not citizens of the country, or were dead, or had migrated elsewhere or had their names registered at more than one place,” Kumar elaborated.
While the ECI did not provide a break-up of the categories of “ineligible” persons, the move has drawn criticism. Allegations have been raised regarding the wrongful deletion of genuinely deceased individuals, and the presence of “foreign nationals” in the voters' list has been disputed by some opposition parties.
Responding to these concerns, the CEC affirmed the right to appeal, stating, “If anybody feels that his or her name has been wrongfully deleted from the electoral roll, an appeal could still be filed before the district election office concerned.”
Kumar also stressed the importance of political party participation in ensuring trust and transparency in the process. “We have also been urging political parties to ensure that they appoint polling agents, at all booths, as well as counting agents so that all are satisfied that elections have been held in a transparent manner,” the CEC said.
The CEC concluded by commending the efforts of “243 EROs (electoral registration officers) and 90,207 booth level officers” who successfully completed the SIR on time, and invited them to pose for photographs with the visiting ECI team.
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