NEW DELHI: Bihar’s three-phase elections will take place on October 28, November 3 and November 7 in what will be the first large-scale elections in the country since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic . On Friday, the Election Commission announced strict Covid-19 protocols for parties and voters to ensure that the voting exercise is carried out safely and smoothly.
This is how the assembly elections in Bihar will be different than any other poll we have seen so far:
* The voting time has been increased by one hour. Now, voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Before, it used to take place between 7 a.m. M. And 5 p.m. M. However, this will not apply in the areas hit by the Maoists.
Live updates: Bihar polls
* District election officials will identify the reasons for the physical campaign and will also ensure that the circles are marked on the ground to ensure social distancing.
* The number of voters per polling place has been reduced to 1,000 to facilitate social distancing. This will bring the number of polling stations to more than 1 lakh in 2020 from 65,337 in the 2015 elections.
Quick edit: old political equations under tension as Bihar gears up for a digital age election campaign
* Covid-19 patients who are in quarantine will be able to cast their vote on the last day of voting, at their respective polling stations, under the supervision of the health authorities. This is in addition to the postal service option they have already been granted.
* Over 7 lakh of hand sanitizer units, nearly 46 lakh of masks, 6 lakh of PPE equipment, 6.7 lakh of face shield units, 23 lakh (pairs of) hand gloves have been arranged for the ballot boxes . Single-use 7.2 million rupee hand gloves have also been made available to voters.
This is how the assembly elections in Bihar will be different than any other poll we have seen so far:
* The voting time has been increased by one hour. Now, voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Before, it used to take place between 7 a.m. M. And 5 p.m. M. However, this will not apply in the areas hit by the Maoists.
Live updates: Bihar polls
* District election officials will identify the reasons for the physical campaign and will also ensure that the circles are marked on the ground to ensure social distancing.
* The number of voters per polling place has been reduced to 1,000 to facilitate social distancing. This will bring the number of polling stations to more than 1 lakh in 2020 from 65,337 in the 2015 elections.
Quick edit: old political equations under tension as Bihar gears up for a digital age election campaign
* Covid-19 patients who are in quarantine will be able to cast their vote on the last day of voting, at their respective polling stations, under the supervision of the health authorities. This is in addition to the postal service option they have already been granted.
* Over 7 lakh of hand sanitizer units, nearly 46 lakh of masks, 6 lakh of PPE equipment, 6.7 lakh of face shield units, 23 lakh (pairs of) hand gloves have been arranged for the ballot boxes . Single-use 7.2 million rupee hand gloves have also been made available to voters.
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