Delegates from 7 nations to witness phase one of Bihar polls on Thursday

As many as 14 delegates from seven countries will witness up close the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls on Thursday as part of an international visitors' programme of the Election Commission. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi held an interaction with the participants. The 14 participants from France, South Africa, Belgium, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Colombia attended the inaugural session where they were provided a demonstration of the EVMs followed by presentation by senior officers of EC on various aspects of elections. The International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP) includes a two-day tour of Bihar from November 5-6 where the participants will visit the EVM dispatch centres and witness the actual polling on November 6.

The IEVP is a flagship programme of the EC for international cooperation and engagement with the election management bodies of other countries and international organisations. Since 2014, the IEVP has been showcasing the strengths of India's electoral system to the international community and sharing the best practices adopted in the world's largest democracy for conduct of elections. The Bihar polls will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and votes will be counted on November 14. While 121 assembly constituencies will go to the polls in the first phase, voting will be held in 122 seats in the second phase for the 243-member assembly.