The Election Commission of India will hold a press conference at 4 PM today to announce the much-awaited dates for the Bihar assembly elections 2025.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar confirmed the schedule and outlined several new measures aimed at improving transparency and voter convenience.
“Bihar has 243 assembly constituencies — two reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 38 for Scheduled Castes (SCs). The term of the Bihar Legislative Assembly ends on November 22, 2025, and elections will be held before that time. The Election Commission trained booth-level officers for the first time. SIR was launched on June 24, 2025, and completed by the deadline,” Kumar said.
To streamline the polling process, Kumar said that no polling station will have more than 1,200 voters.
The Chief Election Commissioner also announced a series of administrative reforms for better identification and monitoring during polling.
“Identity cards have been introduced for booth-level officials to better identify them when approaching voters. Mobile phones can be deposited in a room outside the booth. This process will be implemented throughout Bihar. There will be 100 per cent webcasting at every polling station,” Kumar stated.
In a move to enhance clarity and voter accessibility, the Election Commission has also revised the design and printing format of EVM ballot papers under Rule 49B of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.
According to an official statement, photographs of candidates will now be printed in colour, with the candidate’s face occupying three-fourths of the allotted photo space for improved visibility. Additionally, serial numbers of candidates and the NOTA option will be printed in the international form of Indian numerals, using a bold font size of 30 for better readability.
The upgraded EVM ballot papers will be deployed in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
As the election season nears, Bihar is also witnessing a wave of new development projects. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate the first phase of the Patna Metro today, marking a big step toward the city joining India’s metro network.
