During a two-day visit to Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alongside Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, held a meeting with representatives from 12 political parties. The parties conveyed their appreciation for the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to set a maximum of 1,200 voters per polling station.
Discussions focused significantly on the number of phases for the upcoming elections. Opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI (ML)-L, advocated for a two-phase election. In contrast, constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), such as the Janata Dal (United) and BJP, requested a single-phase poll; the JD(U) specifically called for the deployment of paramilitary forces at all polling stations. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) suggested either a one or two-phase election.
Electoral roll updates were also a point of discussion. The CPI (ML)-L requested a detailed explanation for the removal of 3.66 lakh electors from the final roll, drawing a parallel to the previous breakdown provided for 65 lakh deletions at the draft stage (where 22 lakh were marked deceased, 36 lakh permanently migrated or absent, and 7 lakh were already enrolled elsewhere). The EC also noted the addition of 21.53 lakh new electors to the rolls.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/ec-meeting-nda-oppn-on-same-page-over-post-chhath-bihar-polls-fewer-phases-10287968/