Bihar panchayat election 2021: Voting for first phase begins today

Bihar panchayat election votes will be counted on the following day of polling of each phase of the voting during which about 6.39 crore electors are expected to vote.

The first phase of the Bihar panchayat election began on Friday as voting for 4,647 posts are being held in 12 blocks spread over 10 districts in the state amid tight security. Election officials have said that 14,000 people have been deployed at 2,119 polling stations in Kaimur, Rohtas, Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Arwal, Munger, Jamui and Banka where both electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers will be used for voting.

The 11-phase Bihar panchayat elections will end on December 12.  (File Photo/Representative Image)

“So far, 362 illegal arms and 1,606 cartridges have been seized from anti-socials in the ongoing pre-poll checking drives by the police. Moreover, 12,065 illegal liquor manufacturing units have been destroyed in different districts while 5,46,143 litres of illicit liquor has been seized,” the State Election Commission (SEC) said in a press release on Thursday.

According to the notification announced by state election commissioner Deepak Prasad in August, the 11-phase election for more than 2.55 lakh representatives of the three-tier panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) will end on December 12. Votes will be counted on the following day of polling of each phase of the election during which about 6.39 crore electors are expected to vote.

There will be 8,072 mukhiyas, 113,307 panchayat members, 11,104 panchayat samiti members, 1160 zila parishad members, 8,072 gram kutchery sarpanch and 1,13,307 gram kutchery panchs of the total representatives for PRIs.

Prasad said electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used for the first time in the rural bodies elections. Elections for panch and sarpanch will be conducted through the ballot papers and polling for mukhiya, panchayat samiti members, panchayat members and zila parishad members will be held through EVMs, he said.

The last panchayat elections were held five years ago in 10 phases, which had nearly 6.44 crore electors. This time, the number of electors and panchayat bodies have been reduced due to the reorganisation of urban bodies, in which 315 panchayats lost their existence and 186 panchayats were partially hit.

This time, the SEC has made arrangements for webcasting polling at sensitive and super sensitive booths and has also set up a state-level control room where any complaint about poll malpractices or other discrepancies can be lodged by dialling 18003457243. Voters will also be verified through biometric machines at the booths to prevent bogus voting.

About 1 lakh polling personnel would be engaged along with nearly 90,000 security personnel. Elections officials have said they have received around 2.21 lakh EVMs against its requirement of 2.56 lakh.

About 2 lakh ballot boxes will be used in the elections to elect sarpanchs and panchs to make up for the absence of EVMs with desired specifications.

In the last phase of election on December 12, polling will be held in 38 blocks of 20 districts, areas mostly affected currently by floods.