​Vote of confidence: On the Bihar Assembly Election 2025

Bihar will vote in two phases, on November 6 and 11, to elect a new Assembly, with counting on November 14. The Bihar Assembly election of 2025 is important not only for political reasons but also for the reasons of electoral integrity in India, which is facing a crisis. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is cognisant of the high stakes in Bihar, and for good measure, the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, described it as the ‘mother of all elections’. The ECI also listed 17 measures, beginning with Bihar, that could improve voter participation and public trust in the process. The average number of eligible voters in a polling station will be 819, and the highest number of voters in a booth will now be 1,200 compared to 1,500 earlier. The ECI has also taken into account concerns raised by political parties and other observers about the electoral process. Counting of postal ballots will be complete before the last two rounds of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) counting. If there is a mismatch between the Form 17C and EVM data, and wherever mock poll data had not been erased, the counting of VVPAT slips will be mandatory. Among other measures are mobile phone deposit facilities at polling stations, and a one-stop digital platform named ECINet, for real-time voter turnout updates. Surprising turns in turnout data have been a matter of serious concern in recent elections, and this measure could help clear the air. Live feed from all booths will be available for monitoring purposes.

The Bihar election has gained a special national significance this time, with the ECI’s abrupt announcement of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls which began in June. The ECI sees the process as a “purification” of electoral rolls, with plans to have it across the country. In Bihar’s final list, roughly 69 lakh names were removed for reasons such as deaths, unproven citizenship, duplicate entries, or permanent migration to other States. Bihar will be critical for the BJP, the Congress, the RJD and the JD(U), with each party hoping to turn a corner in their journeys. The ruling National Democratic Alliance is at the crossroads with an aging Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is completing nearly 20 years in office. The BJP may want to formally take over the alliance’s reins but it will have to gauge how this might impact the social dynamics. For the Congress, Bihar will be a test case of its key planks — electoral integrity and social justice. All said, this is one election in which the ECI has the highest stakes, and all those invested in Indian democracy hope to see it come out with flying colours.