The Government is in favour of holding Assembly elections in Bihar after the Commonwealth Games scheduled in October.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is understood to have conveyed it to the Election Commission officials in a meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the security arrangements.
Official sources said that the decision was taken considering the fact that a number of personnel from central paramilitary forces would be involved in providing security to the Games scheduled between 3rd to 14th October.
Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi and Election Commissioner V S Sampath held detailed discussion with Home Secretary G K Pillai on the number of paramilitary forces required for conducting free and fair polls in the state.
The term of the 243-member Assembly will end on 27th November. The Commission has already visited the state to review the situation, including preparation of photo identity cards and revision of electoral roll.
This will be first election after Quraishi took over the key post from Navin Chawla recently.
The election is expected to be a triangular affair with the ruling JD(U)-BJP continuing their poll alliance and Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP joining hands to oust it from power.
The Congress has announced it would go it alone in the state, unlike in the past when it played a second fiddle to RJD.
Overcoming last-minute hiccups, RJD and LJP have clinched an alliance and decided to contest 168 and 75 seats respectively.
