Directs strict vigil to ensure peaceful, inducement-free Bihar Assembly Elections 2025
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Haryana Chief Electoral Officer, A. Sreenivas said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) recently held a coordination meeting on interstate border issues in Bihar with Chief Secretaries, DGPs and Principal Secretaries (Home) of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, along with officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Railways and all enforcement agencies.
He said that the entire ECI reviewed law-and-order arrangements in Bihar and its neighbouring States to monitor movement of men, material and money including arms, anti-social elements, liquor, narcotics and freebies inter-State and across the international border with Nepal for the upcoming Assembly election in the state.
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 Commission also reviewed compliance with voter-facilitation directions to ensure a pleasant and smooth experience for voters on the day of poll. 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, he added.
A. Sreenivas said that the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and the DG of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), were directed to ensure heightened vigilance in areas bordering Bihar, with enhanced checks at interState posts.
He further said that central agencies including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Income Tax Department, Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) were directed to intensify efforts in the run-up to the polls and maximise seizures acting upon actionable intelligence.