On Thursday, the Election Commission examined steps taken to prevent drugs, antisocial elements, and freebies from entering poll-bound Bihar from neighbouring states and Nepal. Top officials from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar attended the coordination conference.
The discussions also included representatives from the Union Home Ministry, law enforcement, and railroads. In Bihar, voting will take place on November 6 and 11, and the results will be tallied on November 14. According to an official statement, the senior brass of the EC examined the law-and-order setup in Bihar and the surrounding states.
They kept an eye on the flow of cash, weapons, antisocial elements, alcohol, drugs, and freebies between states as well as across the international border with Nepal. To preserve peace and order, special attention was paid to surrounding districts and border closing.
In order to guarantee that voters have a positive and easy experience on election days, the Commission also examined adherence to voter-facilitation guidelines. The heads of central agencies, chief secretaries, and DGPs were instructed to make sure the election was free from inducements and conducted peacefully.
The DG of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), together with the chief secretaries and directors general of police of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, were directed to guarantee increased surveillance in regions that border Bihar, with more thorough checks at interstate posts. In order to maximise seizures based on actionable intelligence, central agencies such as the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), Income Tax Department, and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) were instructed to step up their efforts in the lead-up to the elections.