District machinery tightens security, sets timelines for graduate constituency poll
Bhagalpur: The district administration here intensified preparations on Saturday for the forthcoming Kosi Graduate Constituency biennial elections, with District Magistrate-cum-District Election Officer Alankrita Pandey leading an inspection of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) warehouse and reviewing on-ground security and monitoring arrangements.
Officials said the election notification will be issued on 29 September, while 6 October is fixed as the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nominations is scheduled for 7 October, with the deadline for withdrawal of nominations on 9 October. Polling for the graduate seat is to be held on 23 October from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and counting of votes will take place on 27 October.
| Event | Date / Time |
|---|---|
| Election notification | 29 September |
| Last date for nominations | 6 October |
| Scrutiny of nominations | 7 October |
| Last date for withdrawal | 9 October |
| Polling | 23 October, 8:00 am–4:00 pm |
| Counting | 27 October |
Officials gave details about the electorate and logistics in Bhagalpur district. The Kosi Graduate Constituency comprises 26 polling stations in the district and a total of 24,672 registered voters here, including 17,952 men, 6,718 women and two voters listed as others.
- District election infrastructure: EVM and VVPAT warehouse inspected.
- Security measures: CCTV monitoring, restricted access and continuous surveillance.
- Electoral roll snapshot for Bhagalpur: 24,672 voters across 26 polling locations.
During the inspection, the DM reviewed CCTV coverage and the storage protocol for voting machines. She directed election officials and security personnel to ensure continuous surveillance, maintain cleanliness of the storage facility and prevent unauthorised entry. The DM emphasised that all stakeholders — including political parties and candidates — must adhere to the Model Code of Conduct from the moment the notification is issued.
"There should be no lapse in security arrangements."
The inspection team included Superintendent of Police (City) Atulesh Jha and officials from the district election cell. They carried out checks in the presence of representatives of political parties to demonstrate transparency in handling sensitive election material. Officials said party representatives were shown the EVMs and VVPATs stored at the warehouse and briefed on safeguards.
Election administration sources noted that the presence of party representatives at such inspections is a routine step under the Election Commission's protocols intended to build confidence in the security and integrity of the polling process. The DM's instructions covered human resource deployment, access control, and the maintenance of registers and records related to machine movement and storage.
Local election officials have been asked to prepare contingency plans for transportation of machines to polling centres, to ensure they remain under strict escort and are accompanied by appropriate documentation. Observers will monitor movement and handover procedures as per established norms.
Political parties and candidates in the graduate constituency were reminded to comply strictly with campaign rules and the Model Code of Conduct once the notification is out. The DM also advised district-level officials to maintain close liaison with police and centralised monitoring teams to pre-empt any law-and-order issues during the election period.
The Kosi Graduate Constituency biennial poll affects representation in the state legislative framework for graduate voters in the region. With the schedule now firm, electoral activity is expected to increase in the coming days as candidates finalise nomination papers and parties make ground-level arrangements.
