EC asks authorities to ensure free, fair elections in Bihar

Patna: The Election Commission (EC) has asked the authorities in poll-bound Bihar for expediting the search-and-seizure operations to ensure free-and-fair Assembly polls in the state, an official said. The directions were issued by the poll panel on Friday during a meeting with the observers of the 78 Assembly constituencies going to polls in the first round of the three-phased Bihar polls on October 28, Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) Sanjay Kumar Singh said at a press briefing here.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora and two other election commissioners, Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar, held the meeting online. The EC reviewed the overall poll preparations, be it the issue of training or providing facilities to the elderly people, Singh said.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, various agencies had seized cash and banned items valued at Rs 35.27 crore in Bihar. The amount is expected to rise further during the Assembly polls, officials had said.