ECI Holds Strategic Border Coordination Meet to Ensure Peaceful Bihar Polls

In preparation for the upcoming 2025 Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) convened a high-level inter-state coordination meeting in New Delhi today, aiming to strengthen security measures across Bihar's borders with neighbouring states and the international frontier with Nepal. The meeting witnessed participation from Chief Secretaries, Directors General of Police (DGPs), and Principal Secretaries (Home) from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, alongside senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Railways, and key enforcement agencies.

CEC Reiterates Commitment to Free and Inducement-Free Elections

Presiding over the meeting, Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, emphasized the Commission's unwavering focus on ensuring free, fair, peaceful, and inducement-free elections. He stressed that a secure and level playing field was non-negotiable for safeguarding the integrity of the democratic process.

"The responsibility of delivering peaceful and inducement-free elections rests on collective coordination. Every institution must function in seamless alignment to uphold public confidence in the electoral process," Shri Kumar stated.

Sealing Borders and Monitoring Movement Across States

Special attention was given to the bordering districts of Bihar, which are prone to cross-border movement of illegal arms, liquor, narcotics, anti-social elements, and freebies. The ECI directed all enforcement and law enforcement bodies to implement strict vigilance and preventive measures, particularly across:

• Inter-state borders with Jharkhand, UP, and West Bengal

• International border with Nepal, which has historically witnessed illegal transits during elections

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was instructed to intensify surveillance along the Indo-Nepal border, ensuring that no illegal material or personnel movement takes place to influence or disrupt the electoral process.

Central Agencies Mobilised to Maximise Vigilance and Seizures

The ECI called upon key central enforcement agencies to ramp up their proactive operations, urging them to act swiftly on actionable intelligence in the run-up to the polls. Agencies directed to scale up their efforts include:

• Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)

• Income Tax Department

• Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) authorities

• Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)

The Commission stressed the importance of coordinated operations, especially at known transit hotspots, vulnerable checkposts, railway stations, and highways connecting Bihar with neighbouring states.

Smooth Voting Experience and Administrative Readiness

In addition to security coordination, the ECI also reviewed the status of voter facilitation arrangements, directing state officials to ensure:

• Smooth polling station accessibility

• Availability of basic amenities

• Real-time grievance redressal mechanisms on polling day

CEC Gyanesh Kumar reiterated that the electorate's voting experience should be seamless, safe, and welcoming, and tasked district and state election officers with full compliance of voter-centric instructions.

Accountability at the Top: Directives to Senior Officials

The Chief Secretaries and DGPs of all four states were held accountable for:

• Implementing robust election-time law and order protocols

• Conducting daily inter-state coordination meetings at the field level

• Ensuring that miscreants, habitual offenders, and suspected political enforcers are kept under preventive checks

They were also asked to submit weekly intelligence briefs to the ECI outlining their interception operations, seizure reports, and any new threats emerging from border regions.

Securing Bihar 2025: A Coordinated Democratic Mission

Today's meeting marked a critical step in tightening security and curbing electoral malpractices in one of India's most politically vibrant states. With Bihar being geographically and demographically complex, the ECI's proactive engagement with state and central enforcement bodies reflects a whole-of-government approach to election preparedness.

As General Elections to the Bihar Assembly draw near, the Commission remains firm in its resolve to uphold the sanctity of the ballot box, eliminate the influence of illegal inducements, and ensure that every eligible voter casts their vote freely and without fear.