Polls should be held without any delay, says Bihar BJP

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 4 (ANI): BJP Bihar President Dilip Jaiswal stated on Saturday that the Election Commission has requested political parties to ensure that their polling agents surely collect Form 17C after the voting concludes, as the poll body will announce the dates for the Bihar assembly at any time now.
"The Election Commission has requested political parties to ensure that their polling agents surely collect Form 17C when voting ends in the evening... Some political parties' polling agents leave early, and then the blame game begins... We were also asked about when the elections should be held. We said that the elections should be held immediately when the 28-day announcement period ends, without any delay...," Jaiswal told reporters
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar led a delegation to Bihar's Patna on Saturday, and reviewed poll preparations for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections.
The team included Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, along with Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Gunjyal and senior officials.
The delegation met with representatives of all recognised national and state political parties, including the BJP, JD(U), RJD, Congress, and others, to discuss election-related issues and gather feedback.
"Under the chairmanship of the Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar, the discussion with all 12 recognised political parties of Bihar began with Election Commissioner Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi, Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer Shri Vinod Gunjyal, and senior officials of the Commission," the poll body said in a message on X on Saturday.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the dates for the Bihar Assembly polls at any time now.The review follows the Election Commission of India's (ECI) publication on September 30 of the final electoral roll for the Bihar assembly elections, marking the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year.An Election Commission press release stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, and the number of electors in the draft list as of August 1, 2025, stood at 7.24 crore.
It stated that ineligible electors removed from the draft list stood at 3.66 lakh, while 21.53 lakh eligible electors were added to the draft list (Form 6), taking the total to 7.42 crore voters.The SIR exercise was carried out in line with Article 326 of the Constitution and ECI's motto of 'no eligible voter to be left out, and no ineligible person to be included in the Electoral rolls', the release said.
Over 1.63 lakh electors have been added in 14 assembly constituencies in Patna, according to the district administration.In Madhubani district, 85,645 voters have been added after the draft publication. After disposing of the claims and objections received, there has been an increase of 56,423 voters in the seven constituencies of the Nalanda district.
The electoral contest in Bihar is largely expected to be a direct fight between the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the Mahagathbandhan led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the NDA currently holds 131 seats, with the BJP holding 80, JD(U) 45, HAM(S) 4, and two Independents.
The Mahagathbandhan holds 111 seats, with the RJD securing 77, Congress 19, CPI(ML) 11, CPI(M) 2, and CPI 2.Political activity has intensified in the state, with parties trading charges as they gear up for a high-stakes election battle. (ANI)