Urban local bodies’ election in Bihar to be held on Oct 10, 20

A total of 1,14,52,759 electors are likely to exercise their franchise to elect their representatives in 17 municipal corporations, 70 nagar parishads and 137 nagar panchayats

Elections for urban local bodies (ULBs) in Bihar will be held in two phases, on October 10 and October 20, and results will be announced on October 12 and October 22, respectively, according to the schedule announced by the state poll panel on Friday.

State Election Commissioner Deepak Kumar at a press conference in Patna on Friday. (Santosh Kumar)

Briefing reporters, state election commissioner Deepak Prasad said that as many as 224 municipal bodies, out of the total 261, will go to vote in two phases.

“The election process of first phase of polling in 3,346 wards of the 156 ULBs will start tomorrow and candidates can begin filing their nominations. Process for the next round of polling in 1,529 wards of 68 ULBs, including 17 municipal corporations, will start from September 16,” Prasad said, adding that direct elections will be held for the top two posts, mayor and deputy mayor, for the first time in the state.

A total of 1,14,52,759 electors are likely to exercise their franchise to elect their representatives in 17 municipal corporations, 70 nagar parishads and 137 nagar panchayats. “Elections in 24 more ULBs, which are held up due to some technical issues, will be announced later,” said the commissioner, adding that about 50,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used in the elections.

The commission has also made arrangements for filing of nominations online, apart from the physical form, after submission of the nomination fee in the range of ₹400 to ₹4,000 per individual. Chief councillors and deputy chief councillors, who will have direct election, has the pay equal amount of nomination fee.

Accordingly, ward councillors of nagar panchayats can spend up to ₹20,000 in the campaign, while those contesting elections for nagar parishad can spend up to ₹ 40,000.

The nominees for municipal corporations, whose wards have the population between 4,000-10,000 and 10,0001-20,000, will have the spending limit of ₹60,000 and ₹80,000.

Chief and deputy chief councillors will can spend more as they needed to campaign in all the wards of their respective ULBs.

The elections, as in past, will not allow party symbols.