Political parties to hold talks with EC team in Bihar's Patna on 4 October

Political parties in Bihar are scheduled to meet a team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday, officials said, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

The delegation, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is expected to begin its two-day visit to Bihar on Saturday, during which it will hear feedback and concerns from representatives of recognised national and state parties. Dates for the assembly polls are anticipated to be announced soon.

Prominent parties likely to attend include the BJP, Congress, JD(U), RJD, and CPI(ML) Liberation, with each allowed to send up to three representatives for the discussions.

Bihar SIR: Final list shows massive voter deletions in border districts, rise in BJP strongholds

The meeting comes after the EC on 30 September published the final electoral roll for Bihar, which lists 7.42 crore voters. This represents a drop of over 47 lakh voters since June, when the special intensive revision (SIR) process began.

The voter roll revision has sparked debate. The BJP-led NDA has defended the exercise as necessary to remove “impurities” from the list, including potential illegal foreign immigrants. Meanwhile, opposition parties have alleged that the move amounts to vote manipulation, accusing the EC of carrying out “vote theft” under the influence of the ruling coalition.

The upcoming talks with the EC are expected to cover these concerns, as well as other election preparedness measures, to ensure a free and fair polling process in Bihar.

With PTI inputs