EC says Bihar, other bypolls to be conducted before November 29

Ending months of speculations over conduct of elections in the post-COVID scenario, the Election Commission (EC) said on Friday (September 4) that the Bihar state assembly polls will be held before the Vidhan Sabha’s tenure expires i.e. before November 29.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora told India Today TV that besides Bihar, assembly byelections to 64 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam along with one Lok Sabha seat will be held at the same time for logistical reasons.

These bypolls were scheduled to be held earlier this year, but had to be deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bihar’s chief electoral officer has been provided additional number of EVMs, including VVPATs, keeping the pandemic in mind. “Election Commission’s paramount concern is to ensure the safety and health of voters and all involved in the conduct of elections,” the chief election commissioner had said earlier.

The Election Commission last month issued a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for the conduct of general and by-elections, which included door-to-door campaigns with only five people, gloves for voters, a maximum of 1,000 voters at any polling booth at a time, and temperature checks.

Besides, basic health protocol regarding wearing of face masks, social distancing and personal hygiene has to be followed.

In Bihar, except Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the BJP, almost all political parties want the elections postponed due to the pandemic.