Patna : The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the schedule for the 18th Bihar Legislative Assembly elections today at 4 PM. All 243 assembly seats, including two reserved for STs and 38 for SCs, will go to polls before the term of the current Assembly ends on November 22, 2025.
The 2025 Bihar assembly elections come amid a raging controversy over the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise that was conducted by the Election Commission to weed out outdated or illegal voter names in the state. The Opposition has repeatedly questioned the timing of the voter revision process and has accused the poll body of carrying out the process in a partisan manner with the aim of benefiting the ruling NDA.
However, the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar earlier said that the voter list in Bihar has been “purified” for the first time in 22 years through the SIR. This update addresses long-standing inaccuracies and duplication issues in the electoral roll, he said. Political parties in Bihar have urged the Election Commission to schedule the polls after the Chhath Puja festival to ensure maximum voter participation.
“The Election Commission trained booth-level officers for the first time. We congratulate the voters of India on a successful SIR process and appeal to all voters of Bihar to celebrate this festival of democracy with the same enthusiasm as you celebrate Chhath. Everyone should vote and ensure their participation,” Kumar said on Sunday. In the run-up to the polls, the Election Commission has introduced 17 new initiatives aimed at enhancing the electoral process.
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