The BJP on Saturday urged the Election Commission to conduct the upcoming Bihar assembly elections in one or two phases and called for strict verification of women wearing burqas against their voter ID photographs at polling booths.
State BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, speaking after a meeting with the visiting EC team led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, said, “We have urged the Election Commission to conduct the elections in one or two phases. The election process need not be staggered. Also, tallying of faces of voters, especially burqa-clad women, must be ensured with respective EPIC cards so that only genuine voters get to exercise their franchise.”
The BJP’s demand for non-staggered elections echoed the stance of its main rival, the RJD. However, RJD leaders rejected the party’s concerns over burqas, calling it a “political conspiracy.” Abhay Kushwaha, RJD’s Lok Sabha leader, said, “Only recently has the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls been carried out. New EPIC cards are to be issued to all voters with fresh photographs. Identification of voters is no big deal. But the BJP wants to push its own agenda.”
Kushwaha confirmed that like the BJP, the RJD had requested the EC to hold elections in not more than two phases due to the approaching expiry of the current assembly’s term. He also suggested scheduling the polls after Chhath, Bihar’s most popular festival, which falls six days after Diwali this year.
Jaiswal added that the BJP had asked the EC to ensure polling begins without unnecessary delay, “so, if elections are announced in a few days from now, polling should begin November 3-4 onwards.” He also recommended early deployment of paramilitary forces in villages with significant populations from weaker sections, including extremely backward classes, and conducting flag-march exercises to instil confidence. In riverine areas prone to booth capturing, he urged the use of cavalry units.
Kushwaha said there’s the need for early identification of sensitive booths so that parties could prepare to prevent voter intimidation. He noted, “Upon completion of voting, polling agents must obtain Form 17C from the presiding officer. Many times, the agents leave their assigned booths without doing so, leaving the scope for unnecessary disputes later. Form 17C must be provided in print to all candidates.”
The RJD also demanded that the EC disclose details of 3.66 lakh names deleted from the final electoral roll, citing concerns that the Special Intensive Revision might have benefited the BJP-led NDA. Additionally, the party urged the commission to prevent the Nitish Kumar government from issuing unbudgeted populist announcements and to check personal attacks during the campaign.
Smaller parties, including Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and CPI(ML) Liberation, also backed holding the elections in one or two phases. Both the BJP and RJD noted that many villages with vulnerable populations face intimidation during polls and stressed the need for proper security measures.
