Bihar Assembly Election 2023: EVMs Under Maximum Security As Vote Counting Approaches

Votes will be counted on Friday in 46 centers across Bihar's 38 districts as the electoral process reaches its culmination.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) confirmed Wednesday that all electronic voting machines (EVMs) containing the electoral fate of Bihar assembly candidates are being maintained under stringent security protocols.

The EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) have been sealed within strong rooms protected by a comprehensive two-tier security system. Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) handle the inner security perimeter, while district police forces maintain the outer security boundary.

Additional security measures include round-the-clock CCTV surveillance throughout the storage facilities. Each strong room campus features a dedicated control room where senior officials remain on duty continuously.

District election officers and constituency returning officers have received directives to conduct daily inspections of these strong rooms. Separate storage has been arranged for any EVMs and VVPATs that were identified as defective during mock polling sessions or remained unused during the actual voting process.

The Bihar assembly elections took place in two phases on November 6 and 11, witnessing an unprecedented 66.91 percent voter turnout—the highest in the state's electoral history since 1951.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ashok Kumar Chaudhary released a statement noting that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited various religious establishments on Wednesday to express gratitude for the "peaceful and undisputed" voting process across the state.

"The record-breaking voter participation demonstrates overwhelming engagement from women and various social groups," Chaudhary observed. "This reflects the growing political awareness among Bihar's electorate."