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Mint
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
When are Bihar Elections 2025 expected to be held?
The Bihar Elections will be held between October and November this year. The polls are likely to see a tight contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU), and the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. Advertisement This year, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party is all set to make a debut in the Bihar Elections and contest all the 243 assembly seats. When are Bihar Elections expected to be held? While the Election Commission (EC) has yet to announce the poll schedule, the elections are expected to take place before November 22, 2025. According to the Election Commission's data, the term of the 243-member Bihar Assembly ends on November 22. By that time, the whole election process — including voting, counting and declaration of the Chief Minister — must be completed. Voting for all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar may be held sometime in October or November this year. The model code of conduct can be implemented between September and October. Advertisement Meanwhile, sources told India Today TV that the Bihar 2025 Assembly elections will likely be conducted in two to three phases. Moreover, the poll schedule is expected to be planned, keeping in view major festivals like Diwali and Chhath Puja, sources said. In the last two assembly elections, voting in Bihar took place in multiple phases. In the 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections, the voting took place in three phases — 71 constituencies voted on October 28, 94 constituencies voted on November 3, and 78 constituencies voted on November 7. The election results were declared on November 10. In 2015, the Bihar elections were held in five phases. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce official dates for the Bihar Elections 2025. Advertisement While the NDA, consisting of BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will be once again looking to continue their stint in Bihar, INDIA bloc – consisting of RJD, Congress, and left parties – will be looking to unseat Nitish Kumar.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Aiming for upper hand in Bihar polls, BJP connects with Bihari migrants via queries
Months after it began its outreach to migrant Biharis, the BJP has devised a novel way to step up its efforts to connect with them in a bid to persuade them to return home and vote in the upcoming state Assembly polls. As a part of this new exercise, about 150 state BJP leaders, armed with a list of 14 questions, have been travelling through the country in order to reach out to non-resident Biharis, who are estimated to number around 2.75 crore. According to Bihar BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma, the possibility of migrant Biharis returning to the state to vote is high as the polls are likely to be held in October this year, around the Chhath Puja, one of the main festivals of the state, during which the state sees a return of lakhs of migrants. 'With special trains being run during Chhath Puja, it would be all the more easier for them to travel back to Bihar and cast their votes,' he told The Indian Express. The questionnaire, titled 'Aam Bihari pravisiyon ki jaankari (information on common migrants from Bihar)' accessed by The Indian Express, aims to collect details of the Bihari migrants like name, phone number, address, profession, social category, Assembly segment, native district and also if he / she is a BJP supporter. To assess a migrant's ability to convince others to vote in favour of the BJP, a question related to the person's influence back home features in the list. While one of the questions also seek the details of the voter IDs so that the party could help a migrant get it if that person does not have one, a BJP leader calls the entire exercise a 'game changer'. 'The questionnaire also helps us get Assembly constituency-wise data to work with. Also, the caste data will help us identify our focus areas keeping in mind the social composition of each constituency,' he said. Claiming that the exercise is a follow-up of the party's drive held during Bihar Divas celebrations earlier this year to convince non-resident Biharis to return and vote, Sharma said, 'We have a rough list of all 243 Assembly constituencies, which have between 15,000-20,000 migrants each. Even if we convince 5,000 from each seat to return and vote, it will improve the turnout.' The BJP had appointed its general secretary Tarun Chugh and senior leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam to oversee the 11-day Bihar Divas celebrations in March, where the party reached out to non-resident Biharis by organising 'get-together events'. According to sources, the collected data is being processed and would be uploaded on an app once it is finalised by August. 'The next step would be to call the non-resident Biharis to know if they would return to cast their vote,' a source said.
News18
3 days ago
- Politics
- News18
'Don't See Myself In Central Role, Want To Return': Chirag Paswan Hints At Bihar Poll Plunge
Last Updated: Chirag Paswan said that his preference has "always been Bihar and Biharis", adding that he does not see himself in the central leadership. Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday weighed in on the reports of the possibility of him contesting the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections, and clarified that his preference has 'always been Bihar and Biharis", adding that he conveyed his desire to the party to return to the state politics soon. Paswan emphasised that he wants to see Bihar as a developed state, which he said, 'is not possible if I am in Delhi." Chirag Paswan Set For Bihar Assembly Polls? 'I have said this previously, that I don't see myself in National politics for long. The only reason I came into politics was Bihar and Biharis. My vision has always been 'Bihar first, Bihari first', and I always want Bihar to prosper and be at par with other developed states. And I have realised after becoming an MP for the third time that this would not be possible in Delhi. I had expressed my wish before the party (Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)) that I want to return to Bihar soon," news agency ANI quoted Paswan as saying while speaking with the reporters. #WATCH | Raipur, Chhattisgarh: Union Minister Chirag Paswan says, 'I have said this previously, that I don't see myself in National politics for long. The only reason I came into politics was Bihar and Biharis. My vision has always been 'Bihar first, Bihari first', and I always… — ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025 However, he added that his party is still evaluating if it will be beneficial to contest the state elections. His remarks came a day after sources told CNN-News18 that the parliamentary board of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has decided that Paswan would contest the Assembly polls from a general seat. Sources said that the final decision on the seat is yet to be taken; however, they confirmed that it would be a general seat. Speculations gained traction after a social media post by Jamui MP and Paswan's brother-in-law, Arun Bharti, said, 'When the leader is of the whole of Bihar, then why should the scope of the seat be limited?". Bihar Assembly Elections By This Year-End The term of the current Bihar Assembly is set to end on November 22 this year. The Election Commission of India is likely to hold state polls in two to three phases, sources said on Monday, adding that the poll body may avoid dates coinciding with key festivals like Diwali and Chhath Puja. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will also visit Bihar this month to take stock of the situation. Training of the staff has also begun for the elections.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
2 Or 3 Phases, Space For Diwali And Chhath: Sources On Bihar Election Dates
New Delhi: The 2025 Bihar Assembly Election may be held over two or three phases, Election Commission sources told NDTV Monday. The schedule will be decided keeping Diwali and Chhath Puja in mind, the sources also said. Diwali this year will be on October 20 and Chhath on October 28. The Bihar Assembly term ends on November 22, so the election process (including counting and declaration of results) must be finished before that. Sources said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will visit the state sometime this month to oversee preparations. Meanwhile, the poll panel is training to BLO, or booth level operators to ensure a fair election, and avoid allegations related to voter lists like those made by the Congress and other opposition parties after the 2024 Maharashtra and Haryana elections and the Delhi election in February. The Bharatiya Janata Party romped to victories in all three. In Delhi it thumped the Aam Aadmi Party to claim power in the national capital for the first time in nearly three decades, and in Haryana it overcame a strong start by the Congress to retain power for a third consecutive term in the heartland state. In Maharashtra voter list fraud was alleged after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi failed to perform like in the Lok Sabha election a few months earlier. The Election Commission had strongly refused all such claims. And now, as part of a renewed effort to counter such allegations, the poll panel will provide all BLOs with identity cards, sources said. This will allow them to go door-to-door for verification. Also, a campaign will be held to update the voter list, so people turning 18 can be added. This will also, sources said, eliminate the problem of duplicate voter ID numbers. The Election Commission is also prepared to deal with challenges posed by AI, sources said. 2020 Bihar Election The 2020 Bihar election was held in three phases; voting was on October 28, November 3, and November 7, with results announced on November 10. The result was an overwhelming victory for the BJP and Janata Dal (United)-led alliance, but there was much drama that followed. JDU boss and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lived up to his ' paltu Kumar' sobriquet in just two years later, in August 2022, declaring "I would rather die than go with the BJP (anymore)". He re-aligned with Tejashwi Yadav and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, but then flipped again. Amid confusion and controversy, in January 2024 he dumped the RJD and returned to the BJP's side. The 2025 election will be keenly watched, as much for what Nitish Kumar does next as for the BJP building up steam ahead of a critical round of state polls next year, when Bengal and Assam will vote. Both polls will likely be dominated by fierce debates over issues like immigration. In 2026 Tamil Nadu and Kerala will also vote. Both states have historically rejected the BJP and its brand of muscular nationalism, with the former giving the DMK and Congress alliance big wins in the past three major polls - the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections.
NDTV
14-05-2025
- NDTV
"Gave Food To Homeless": Delhi Cop Gets Tearful Farewell After Transfer
New Delhi: A Delhi policeman, who recently got transferred, received a grand and an emotional farewell from local residents, who poured out onto the streets to felicitate their "family member". Ram Manohar Mishra, Station House Officer of Sabzi Mandi Police Station in North Delhi recently received a fresh posting. As news of his transfer spread, local residents gathered on the streets and felicitated him with garlands and gifts. Several people also took to social media and praised the cop who, they said, made a deep and lasting impact on the area. The doors of the police station were opened for everyone under Mr Mishra, locals said. Children would visit the station to celebrate their birthdays with the cop. There were occasions when Mr Mishra personally visited an elderly person or a child's house with a cake once he learnt about their birthdays. Residents also recalled how the SHO helped a 10-year-old boy, who went crying to him to complain about his bicycle being stolen. The cop called the boy to the station and gifted him with a new bicycle with his own money. The child and parents were touched by this gesture, locals said. Last year, Mr Mishra set up a food centre near the police station to feed the homeless. He got the idea after he found a homeless man eating bread strewn over streets for the cows. The SHO never arrested youngsters involved in petty crimes. Instead, he counselled them and gave them an opportunity to reform. These youngsters eventually started working with the cops in protecting the area, locals said. Mr Mishra's unique style of policing and direct communication with the public helped curb crimes to a very large extent in the locality, residents said. Mr Mishra is not just a capable officer but also a great singer. Often he has used music as a medium to reach out to the citizens, according to locals. Be it the Kanwar Yatra, Chhath Puja or Ganesh Chaturthi, he has performed and sang bhajans on nearly all occasions.
