New Delhi/Patna: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday officially announced the schedule for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, marking the start of the political battle for the state’s 243 seats. The long-awaited announcement sets the stage for what is expected to be one of the most closely watched contests ahead of the 2026 Lok Sabha polls.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, said a total of 7.43 crore voters will be eligible to exercise their franchise across 90,712 polling stations in the state. Each polling station will cater to roughly 1,200 voters.
“Elections will be held for 243 seats, of which two are reserved for Scheduled Castes and two for Scheduled Tribes,” Kumar said. “The total number of voters includes 39.2 million men, 35 million women, and 1,725 transgender voters. There are also 4.5 lakh elderly voters and 14.01 lakh first-time voters.”
The ECI said that 76,801 booths will be located in rural areas and 13,911 in urban centres, while 1,044 women-managed booths and 1,350 model booths will be set up across the state.
The announcement comes just a day after a 16-member Election Commission team, led by Gyanesh Kumar, returned to Delhi following a two-day visit to Bihar, during which the team reviewed administrative and security arrangements with district magistrates, police superintendents, and representatives of all recognised political parties.
Kumar said the Commission has introduced 17 new electoral practices in Bihar, several of which could be replicated nationwide in future elections. Among these is a new system allowing voters to deposit their mobile phones at a designated place within polling booths for added transparency.
With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect, marking the formal start of the electoral process. The nomination filing process will begin shortly.
However, despite the poll announcement, major political alliances—including the NDA, the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj—are yet to finalise their seat-sharing arrangements or release their lists of candidates.
Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh said his party was “fully prepared” for the election. “The Congress and Grand Alliance are ready to form the government. Our only expectation is that the Election Commission ensures a free and fair election where every poor and marginalised voter gets to exercise their right,” he said.
Meanwhile, JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha said the NDA had already begun ground-level preparations. “We have held workers’ conferences across all constituencies. There is tremendous enthusiasm among our cadres. Seat-sharing discussions are in the final stage, and we’ll announce details soon,” he said.
The term of the current Bihar Legislative Assembly ends on November 22, 2025, and the entire election process will be completed before that date.
As the political temperature rises, all eyes are now on the Election Commission’s detailed schedule—expected to include polling dates and counting timelines—set to define the shape of Bihar’s political future for the next five years.
