Gyanesh Kumar, the chief election commissioner, has announced 17 new reforms for the upcoming elections in Bihar. As of now, the new initiatives will be applied in the Bihar elections. However, these 17 new initiatives will be in action nationwide in future.
The press conference held by the CEC on Sunday, October 5, had all the details and relevant information regarding the new reforms.
Some of the new reforms announced are:
Limited voters for each Polling Booth
The election committee has set 1200 voters at each polling booth for the upcoming assembly election in Bihar. This has been implemented to reduce the queue length and provide easy access for voters to the polling booth.
Replacing black and white photos with coloured photos on EVMs
Having a coloured photo of the candidate will make easy identification at the time of voting. It will also reduce the error in identifying valid voters. Black and white photos can create confusion in identification of the valid voter candidate.
ID Cards for Booth Officials
This identity card will help voters to recognise the officials easily and will separate them from the voters. The idea is to make the booth officials stand out among the crowd and make them easily accessible for helping the voters.
No Phones allowed in the Booth
Voters must deposit their phones with the officials outside the booth before casting their vote in the upcoming elections in Bihar. No phones allowed at the times of voting to avoid the manipulation of votes.
Broadcasting at Polling Booth
Bihar elections will be broadcast from each polling booth, as stated by the Election Commission at the press conference. Each polling booth will be webcasted to ensure full accuracy and security in the Bihar elections.
Vote Counting Procedure Transparency
The CEC announced that there will be a clarification in case of any difference between the Form 17C and the EVM counting unit. They will again recount the influences of VVPATs. This will assure the counting is accurate and diminish the errors of counting in Polling Booth.
Lastly, the press conference concluded with some other important updates regarding the Bihar elections. The election committee has also announced the deadline of 22 November, and they are hopeful that the election will be done in Bihar by this time.