Election Commission of India Reviews Bihar’s Preparations for 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Patna: In the run- up to the 2024 Lok Sabha general elections, officials from the Election Commission of India (ECI) have commenced a comprehensive review of electoral preparations in Bihar. This crucial evaluation focuses on the special summary revision of the voter list based on the qualification date of January 1, 2024.

The review process brought together District Election Officers from 38 districts in Bhagalpur and Patna for a two-phase meeting. The first phase took place on Friday, and the second phase is scheduled for October 27, at Patna, where officials from Patna, Saran, and Tirhut divisions will convene. A separate review meeting was also conducted for district election officials from 22 districts in Darbhanga and Magadh divisions.

The delegation of the ECI, led by Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma and Nitesh Vyas, played a central role in this review process. The meeting was further attended by Sujit Kumar Mishra, Secretary, and Naresh Kumar, Under Secretary. The welcome address was delivered by H.R. Srinivas, Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, followed by senior officials from the ECI providing updates on the Commission’s latest directives.

In the second phase, officials from 22 districts, including Patna, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Rohtas, Buxar, Kaimur, Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, Jehanabad, Arwal, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Shivhar, West Champaran, East Champaran, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Saran, Siwan, and Gopalganj, participated in the review program, focusing on the 2024 Lok Sabha general elections.

Key topics addressed during the meeting included the imperative of ensuring an error-free electoral list, the need to register eligible voters, and the removal of deceased voters from the electoral list. Instructions were given to address the electorate-population ratio and to register previously unregistered voters. An emphasis was placed on improving the gender ratio within the voter list, with a directive to all District Election Officers to ensure the registration of all eligible voters.

The meeting also underscored the importance of engaging young voters and women in the 18-19 age group in the electoral process. To facilitate this, it was advised to organize special camps in educational institutions, including universities, colleges, and technical study institutes such as ITIs, following the guidelines of the ECI.

In alignment with the ECI’s instructions, the meeting emphasized the need for recognized national and state-level parties to participate and provide electoral list data promptly.