The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to announce the dates for Assembly by-elections in seven states, coinciding with the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. In preparation for these polls, the ECI will deploy 470 officers as observers. A briefing for these observers is scheduled to take place on October 3, 2025, in New Delhi.
Deployment of Observers
To ensure free, fair, and impartial elections, the ECI will deploy 470 officers as central observers for the upcoming electoral contests. These observers will act as the "eyes and ears" of the Commission, overseeing the entire electoral process. The deployed officers include 320 IAS officers, 60 IPS officers, and 90 officers from other services. General, police, and expenditure observers are deployed during elections to serve as eyes and ears of the election watchdog.
Briefing on October 3
A briefing meeting for the appointed observers (general, police, and expenditure) is scheduled to be held on October 3, 2025, at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Dwarka, Delhi.
Bihar Assembly Elections
The announcement of the Bihar election schedule is expected in the second week of October, following a visit by the three-member commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to the state. The term of the current Bihar Assembly ends on November 22, 2025, and the election process must be completed before that date. The Bihar Assembly elections for all 243 constituencies are scheduled to be held in October or November 2025 and will be conducted by the Election Commission of India.
Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls
The Bihar Assembly polls will be the first to implement a "special intensive revision" (SIR) of electoral rolls, ordered by the ECI in June. This process involved preparing electoral rolls afresh instead of revising existing lists. The final voter list based on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar will be published soon.
Key Dates and Phases
Dates for the 2025 Bihar Assembly election will likely be announced after Dussehra (October 2), with voting spread across two phases in the first and second weeks of November. The election is likely to be held in three phases between November 5 and 15, after Chhath Puja which falls on October 28. The 2020 elections were conducted in three phases, while the 2015 elections were spread over five phases.
Political Landscape
The upcoming Bihar election will be a contest between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan, led by the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal. The NDA, comprising the BJP, Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas), is aiming for another term under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Bypolls in Seven States
The ECI is also expected to announce by-elections for several Assembly seats across seven states. These bypolls are being held to fill seats that have become vacant due to various reasons, such as deaths of incumbent MLAs or resignations. Bypoll to Nuapada assembly seat in Odisha likely to be held along with Bihar elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce by-elections for the Budgam and Nagrota assembly constituencies in Jammu & Kashmir, alongside the schedule for the Bihar polls.
