CEC cites Bihar example, urges other countries to hold timely elections

Citing the successful conduct of the Bihar polls, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora Thursday urged other democracies to emulate India’s example and hold elections on time despite the pandemic.

Arora was speaking at a virtual conference organised by the Election Commission (EC) to familiarise other countries with India’s experience of conducting polls amid Covid-19. He said the poll body was discouraged from holding the Bihar Assembly polls on time with “cynics” and “sceptics” giving “doomsday predictions”. The Commission, he said, first tested the ground with the Rajya Sabha elections in June, before deciding on Bihar. The decision to go ahead with the election has turnout out to be a “leap of faith” and not a “leap into the fire”, he added.

Belying expectations, the voter turnout in Bihar has been as good as the last assembly elections in 2015, if not better.

“All EMBS (Election Management Bodies) can be enthused enough by India’s foray into polls to pick up the gauntlet and organise elections as per the original schedule,” he said.