NEW DELHI: With the Election Commission (EC) expected to announce the Bihar assembly elections schedule any time after the first week of October, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to allocate 500 companies for initial deployment and 120 additional companies for area domination in the state.
On Sunday, the poll panel also announced appointments of general, police and expenditure observers, drawn from IAS, IPS and IRS officers, to oversee free and fair elections.
Sources in the EC said the full Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is expected to visit Bihar on October 4-5 to review election preparedness. Kumar, along with Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, will be in Patna to meet the Chief Electoral Officer and other state officials.
According to an official MHA communication, the induction of forces “will be completed by October 5, 2025”. The units will be drawn from across CAPFs, including 118 companies of the CRPF, 99 of the BSF, 92 of the CISF, 75 of the ITBP, 96 of the SSB and 20 of the RPF.
“The move is aimed at strengthening law and order, conducting flag marches, boosting public confidence, and carrying out surveillance and area domination during the election process. Officials described it as one of the most significant mobilisations of central forces for any state assembly elections,” a senior security official said, adding that nearly 70 CRPF companies will also be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir to reach Bihar.
Meanwhile, before leaving for Patna, CEC Kumar has decided to deploy Central Observers in Bihar. The Commission appoints Central Observers under the plenary powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to monitor the conduct of elections in each constituency.