Key Points

Speaking to IANS, Tejashwi Yadav said, "The dates have been announced, and the people of Bihar have been given another opportunity after 20 years. This time, people will not miss it. The public wants change. The people of Bihar have endured the NDA government for two decades. There hasn’t been a single day when they haven’t suffered."

He added, "This government has destroyed the education system. There are no proper facilities for farmers or in the healthcare sector. What exists is only corruption, crime, and dictatorship. Criminals, the corrupt, and those involved in paper leaks have been given protection. Bihar wants freedom from all of this. Bihar wants change, and November 14 will be etched in golden letters in history, marking that change."

"Bihar wants a Chief Minister who doesn’t plead with folded hands but roars for the development and rights of the people. The state needs a leader with vision—not someone who simply copies what Tejashwi Yadav says. What the NDA could not do in 20 years, I will do in 20 months if given a chance. If I come to power, there will be no unemployment. After Chhath Puja, we will form the government. Every citizen of Bihar will become a CM, meaning a 'Change Maker'," he said.

Purnia MP Pappu Yadav also reacted and said, “The ECI does nothing independently. Everything is dictated by the BJP. Special trains and supplementary buses are being arranged around Chhath Puja to influence voters. Dates are being chosen to suit their convenience. The metro isn’t even fully operational, but they are rushing to inaugurate it. The ECI’s agenda is to form a BJP government. The Congress has been preparing for a long time. We have already won—unless votes are stolen.”

Samajwadi Party leader S.T. Hasan said, “Elections had to be held, and the Opposition wanted them to be conducted in a single phase. This is a major test for the ECI. If the elections are not free and fair, it raises serious questions about the state of democracy. I expect the ECI to conduct the polls according to constitutional norms.”

Samajwadi Party leader Ravidas Mehrotra said, “The election dates have been announced. Voting will take place in two phases, and the INDIA Bloc will form the government in Bihar.”

Congress leader Ravinder Sharma added, “Preparations for the Bihar elections are complete. We have raised concerns about ensuring a fair election, and both the Congress and the INDIA Bloc are ready.”

Congress State President Ajay Rai said, “Bihar is a land of change, and that change is about to happen. This is where Mahatma Gandhi began his protest. The wave of change will begin from Bihar and spread across the entire country.”

Meanwhile, the Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the results being declared on November 14.

Addressing media persons, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, described the Bihar elections as “mother of all elections”.

“We want to assure Bihar voters that not only will the elections be exemplary and smooth, but also the most peaceful due to a special focus on maintaining law and order,” he said.

The 2025 Assembly elections are the first to be held in the eastern state after the purification of the electoral rolls under a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which yielded a final voters’ list with 7.43 crore electors, including 14 lakh first-time voters.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar also shared details and the timeline of the SIR held after a gap of 22 years, saying that the final electoral roll has been given to all political parties.

“The window for requesting corrections in the electoral rolls is open till 10 days before the filing of nomination papers by candidates for the upcoming elections,” he said.

The CEC also shared the poll panel’s plans to counter any form of “fake news”, especially on social media, at the district level to counter misinformation.

He also announced that each of the 243 constituencies will have its individual observer, unlike the earlier arrangement of one observer being responsible for more than one seat.

The announcement of Bihar Assembly election dates comes just a day after the poll panel’s delegation concluded its review of election preparedness in the state, meeting with representatives from all major political parties and assessing logistical arrangements.

The term of the current 243-member Bihar Assembly ends on November 22, which means the elections must be conducted before that date. The 2020 Bihar Assembly elections were held in three phases.

- IANS