Patna: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar arrived in the Bihar capital late on Friday to review preparations for the upcoming assembly elections. Accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, Kumar’s visit is expected to focus on ensuring a seamless electoral process.
The Election Commission team is scheduled to meet with representatives from various registered political parties on Saturday. This will be followed by crucial discussions with police and administrative officials from all districts across Bihar to assess the law and order situation and other necessary arrangements for the polls.
The visit gains significance as it follows the Election Commission’s recent publication of the final electoral roll, a result of a three-month intensive revision process. While the ruling NDA views this revision as essential for purifying the voter list, the opposition INDIA bloc has raised concerns, suggesting it could be an attempt to manipulate votes.
Senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha welcomed the EC’s visit, expressing hope for full cooperation from all political parties in what he termed the “grand festival of democracy.” Conversely, Kanhaiya Kumar of the Congress pointed out the deletion of names during the revision, emphasizing the EC’s duty to prevent wrongful exclusions. CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya plans to highlight discrepancies in the electoral roll, particularly the disproportionate deletion of female voters, during his meeting with the EC.