Patna, July 30 — Voting for the Bankipur Assembly by-election concluded largely peacefully on Thursday, with only a few minor scuffles reported between supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jan Suraaj Party.
Polling was held from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and according to the Election Commission, the final voter turnout stood at 34.30 per cent.
The 182-Bankipur Assembly Constituency has 422 polling stations spread across 162 polling station locations. A total of 3,79,616 electors were eligible to vote, including 2,00,060 male voters, 1,79,533 female voters, and 23 third-gender voters.
A total of 25 candidates contested the by-election, comprising 23 male and 2 female candidates.
To conduct the election, the Election Commission deployed 569 Control Units, 1,146 Ballot Units, and 617 VVPATs, including reserve machines. During the mock poll, 15 Ballot Units, 10 Control Units, and 8 VVPATs were replaced. During the actual voting process, 14 Ballot Units, 7 Control Units, and 9 VVPATs were replaced to ensure smooth polling.
Special arrangements were made to encourage voter participation and improve accessibility. Thirty Model Polling Stations were established, while one polling station was managed entirely by women and another entirely by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Live webcasting was conducted from all 422 polling stations to enhance transparency.
The Election Commission appointed one General Observer, one Expenditure Observer, and one Police Observer to oversee the polling process. During the day, the departmental control room received 59 complaints, all of which were resolved promptly.
Elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure free, fair, and peaceful polling. The deployment included 14 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), eight companies of the Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP), 268 CAPF personnel, 221 police officers, and 998 district police personnel. Additionally, 500 Home Guard personnel were deployed at polling stations to assist voters and maintain orderly queues.
Emergency response systems, including motorboats, SDRF teams, dog squads, bomb disposal squads, and Dial-112 Emergency Response Vehicles, were kept on standby throughout the polling process. To prevent illegal activities and maintain law and order, security personnel were deployed at 85 check-posts across the constituency.
During joint operations by the Flying Surveillance Teams (FST), Static Surveillance Teams (SST), and CAPF, authorities seized Rs 14.30 lakh in cash, 2,412.18 litres of liquor, 39,200 intoxicant tablets, narcotics weighing approximately 1.98 grams, and an additional Rs 3.95 lakh in cash.
The administration also undertook extensive preventive measures during the election period. Legal action was initiated against 2,454 individuals identified as potential law-and-order risks. Since the announcement of the by-election, police have executed 998 non-bailable warrants (NBWs) as part of a campaign against wanted criminals and antisocial elements.
Authorities also maintained round-the-clock monitoring of social media platforms to curb the spread of fake news and rumours. Between July 2 and July 29, five cases were registered for violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
On polling day, 39 individuals were arrested or detained, according to official information.
Despite a few isolated confrontations, election authorities stated that the Bankipur Assembly by-election concluded peacefully, with security arrangements and election management ensuring an orderly polling process.