Bihar MLC elections: Voting percentage jumped by 4%, says ECI

Polling took place at 976 places across 30 districts in the state to elect the MLCs. The total number of voters for graduate and teacher constituencies in Bihar was 4.06 lakh and 40,631, respectively.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday recorded a 4% increase from 2014 in the voting percentage to elect members of the Bihar legislative council (MLCs), which were conducted across four teacher and graduate constituencies each on Thursday.

Workers carry ballot boxes at Collectorate premises in Patna earlier in the month. (HT file)

Polling took place at 976 places across 30 districts in the state to elect the MLCs.

The total number of voters for graduate and teacher constituencies in Bihar was 4.06 lakh and 40,631, respectively.

The exercise was the first large scale polls conducted in Bihar amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, which were held ahead of the upcoming three-phase elections for the 243-member legislature assembly.

Bihar’s 7.2 million voters will exercise their franchise on October 28, November 3 and 7 and the results will be declared on November 10.

The MLC polls were conducted while enforcing all Covid-19 precautions, as suggested by the ECI.

“All measures directed by the ECI were put in place for free, fair and safe elections at each polling station,” said the poll panel.

“The overall voting percentage in 2014 was 56.33%, which has increased to 60.58 %. There is a net increase of 4%. In the case of teachers’ constituencies, the uptick is from 64% to 72.5%. This demonstrates active participation and faith of electors in the safety measures put in place by the ECI,” it added.

An official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the trend showed a positive voters’ turnout for the upcoming Bihar elections. “Everyone said that voting percentages are likely to reduce,” the official said. “However, there has been a net increase in the voter turnout, which indicates that many more may choose to exercise their franchise during the upcoming assembly elections,” he added.

The ECI had announced its guidelines on August 21 in a bid to hold free, fair and safe polls amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The guidelines include putting a cap on the number of people involved in door-to-door campaigning, allowing the submission of nomination forms online to providing voters with gloves before they use electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Standard safety measures such as maintaining social distancing and wearing of masks, among others, would also be complied with, the ECI said.

Voters suffering from a fever would be allowed to exercise their franchise in the last one hour of the polling process. Besides, the last hour of the polling process has also been reserved for Covid-19 patients and those who are under quarantine because of the viral infection, the ECI added.