'Hold Bihar Elections After Chhat Puja': Parties Tell EC On Visit To Poll-Bound State
They believe this timing will maximise voter turnout by allowing migrant workers, who return home for the holidays, to participate. The current assembly term ends November 22.
Political parties in poll-bound Bihar have urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct assembly elections immediately after the Chhath festival, citing the period as the best time to ensure higher voter turnout.
Chhath, one of the most significant festivals in the state, will be celebrated from 25 to 28 October this year, just days before the likely start of the election process.
On Saturday, representatives from six national and six state parties met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners S. S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in Patna. During the interaction, they pressed not only for polling to be held after Chhath but also for the elections to be conducted in as few phases as possible, officials said.
The 243-member Bihar assembly’s current term ends on 22 November, making it necessary for the polls to be completed before then. According to sources, the first phase of voting is expected to take place towards the end of October, soon after the festival.
Parties argued that the timing would allow migrant workers, who return home during Diwali and Chhath, to cast their votes, significantly improving participation.
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