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New Delhi : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections, declaring that polling will take place in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with results to be declared on November 14.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, addressing a press conference, said the term of the current Bihar Assembly expires on November 22. The elections will determine the fate of 243 constituencies, including two reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and 38 for the Scheduled Castes.

Polling Phases and Nomination Schedule

Of the total seats, 121 constituencies will go to the polls in the first phase on November 6, while voting for the remaining 122 constituencies will be held in the second phase on November 11.

First phase: The last date for filing nominations is October 17, scrutiny will take place on October 18, and the withdrawal of candidature will be on October 20.

Second phase: The last date for filing nominations is October 20, scrutiny will take place on October 21, and the withdrawal of candidature will be on October 23. Kumar also underscored that “it is mandatory to complete counting of postal ballots before the last two rounds of counting of votes.”

Voter Strength and Polling Stations

The CEC said that over 7.42 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Bihar, including 14 lakh first-time voters and about 4 lakh senior citizens. Of the total, 3.92 crore are male voters and 3.5 crore are female voters, with at least 14,000 voters aged over 100 years.

To ensure the smooth conduct of elections, 90,712 polling stations are being set up across the state. Kumar emphasised that the poll body has issued strict directives to ensure “zero tolerance to any violence and no scope for any threat to voters or candidates.”

Byelections Alongside

Along with the Bihar Assembly elections, byelections for eight seats across the country — including Tarn Taran in Punjab and Budgam and Nagrota in Jammu & Kashmir — will also be held on November 11. The results will be declared simultaneously on November 14. Asserting the Commission’s commitment to free and fair elections, Kumar said, “The Bihar elections will be conducted transparently and peacefully.” The announcement formally kick-starts the high-stakes battle in Bihar, where over seven crore voters will decide the state’s political course for the next five years.