New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday reviewed inter-state border preparedness for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, directing heightened vigilance to ensure peaceful, free and inducement-free polls.   

The high-level coordination meeting in New Delhi was attended by Chief Secretaries, Directors General of Police (DGPs) and Home Department officials from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal, along with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Railways and several law-enforcement agencies.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, reviewed law-and-order plans and directed officials to tighten monitoring of the movement of people, cash, arms, narcotics, liquor and freebies across state borders and the international border with Nepal.

The Commission emphasised strict surveillance of vulnerable districts and sealing of borders ahead of polling.

“During the meeting, CEC Gyanesh Kumar underscored the Commission’s commitment to free, fair, peaceful and inducement-free elections, calling upon all stakeholders to work seamlessly to uphold the integrity of the electoral process,” the ECI said in its press note.

“The Chief Secretaries and DGP, along with heads of Central Agencies, were directed to ensure a peaceful and inducement-free General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, 2025,” it added.

The ECI also reviewed preparations to facilitate voters on polling day, instructing states and central agencies to ensure a smooth and secure voting experience.

Officers were tasked with strengthening intelligence inputs, enhancing security deployment and intensifying checks at inter-state border posts.

“The Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and the DG of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), were instructed to ensure heightened vigilance in areas bordering Bihar, with enhanced checks at inter-state posts,” it said.

Agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau, Income Tax Department, CGST and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, were directed to intensify enforcement efforts and maximise actionable-intelligence-based seizures in the run-up to the elections.

With Bihar’s two-phase assembly election approaching, the review meeting signals the ECI’s firm stance against voter inducement and cross-border illegal activities, particularly in districts sharing boundaries with Nepal and neighbouring states.

–IANS

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