Patna, May 18, 2025: As part of preparations for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections 2025, Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi held a comprehensive review meeting on Sunday in Valmikinagar, West Champaran.
The session was attended by senior officials from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Forest Department, and District administration.
The meeting opened with a detailed presentation by SSB Deputy Inspector General Suresh Subramanian, who outlined the force’s surveillance and security measures along the sensitive India-Nepal border.
Dr. Vivek Joshi emphasized the importance of ensuring inclusive electoral participation in the border regions and stressed the need for a coordinated approach involving all stakeholder agencies.
He directed the SSB to intensify collaboration with local police and civil authorities and recommended deploying additional SSB personnel for election duties.
Dr. Joshi also praised the synergy between various departments in conducting previous peaceful elections and noted that such collaboration enhances administrative efficiency.
Dr. Vivek Joshi is involved in Community engagement and field assessment:
During his visit, Dr. Vivek Joshi interacted with Tharu tribal artists, lauding their cultural contributions and community engagement. He then visited polling stations 14 to 17 at Government Middle School, Bagaha-2, within the Valmikinagar Assembly Constituency.
There, he met with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and reviewed their preparedness and training experiences. The BLOs reported having recently undergone intensive training in New Delhi conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which has bolstered their confidence and technical capacity.
Dr. Vivek Joshi instructed the Chief electoral officer to ensure that all training sessions across Bihar emphasize legal accuracy, transparency, and technical proficiency. He also called for active involvement from Booth Level agents of recognized political parties, as well as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs.
Commitment to a free and fair election:
Reaffirming ECI’s commitment to a seamless and exemplary electoral process, Dr. Joshi stated that his visit to Champaran was aimed at understanding ground-level electoral dynamics. Expressing satisfaction with the current level of preparedness, he encouraged local officials to strive towards surpassing the national average in voter turnout, especially since West Champaran already performs above the state average.
He concluded by directing the formation of dedicated monitoring teams to ensure robust election management and praised the district administration for its proactive cooperation. Following the review in Valmikinagar, Dr. Joshi proceeded to East Champaran (Motihari) and is scheduled to return to New Delhi via Vaishali and Patna on Monday.
EOM.