In Bihar, EC delays polling due to heatwave
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Wednesday extended the voting period in portions of four parliamentary constituencies in Bihar by two hours due to the current heat wave. With the intention of boosting voter participation, the revised polling hours in the designated polling places will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A notice said that the polling hours for the Lok Sabha seats of Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria, and Munger were 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nevertheless, the EC has chosen to alter the voting hours in these seats after discussions with political parties “to increase voters’ participation” and after taking into account the state chief electoral officer’s request to prolong polling hours due to the current heatwave.
The EC made its judgment in response to a comparatively lower turnout of voters than in 2019 for the first round of voting on April 19, which included four Bihar seats. Voting has been extended until 6 p.m. at some polling places in Banka on Friday, Madhepura and Khagaria on May 7, and Munger on May 13.
