Patna, Aug. 24: The RJD?s tough posturing against the Election Commission, which looks determined to hold ?more free and fair? polls in the state, has not found any takers among the main political parties.

The party that ruled Bihar for 15 long years ? first with Laloo Prasad Yadav and then his wife Rabri Devi in command ? looks isolated in its ?fight? against the Election Commission?s ?excesses? in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

The RJD has even approached the President to press its point, besides petitioning the poll panel itself. Worse still for the RJD, the Election Commission has made it amply clear that no amount of criticism would deter it from acting on multiple fronts for ensuring that the electoral exercise this time turns out to be much better than the past.

The poll panel, especially its adviser K.J. Rao, had won appreciation for improving the quality of elections held in February when it strictly implemented measures related to campaign and polling. The RJD was especially disturbed with the poll panel decision to ?review? the polling at a booth, which recorded more than 65 per cent turnout. Besides, for the first time, it deployed one observer in each of the 243 constituencies to counter possible irregularities by officials, drawn mainly from the state services, in the management of polling.

With dates yet to be announced, the various steps taken by the poll panel have not come as good news to the RJD, whose performance touched an all-time low earlier this year as it could win only 75 seats. The Election Commission has admitted that Patna district itself has more than 70,000 bogus voters, indicating that the actual number of ?duplicate? electors for entire Bihar, which has 38 districts, could well run into several lakhs.

A survey by the BJP has estimated that in 26 districts, as many as 40.72 lakh bogus names are registered on the voters? list. ?How did so many fictitious names appeared on the voters? list, with what objective and who was responsible? The groundwork for the preparation of the rolls was done by the state officials who were under pressure to act as per the wishes of the government of the day. Obviously the RJD does not like the corrective exercise,? BJP spokesperson Kiran Ghai said.

The poll panel?s declaration that no one would be allowed to vote this time without photo identity cards has also not gone well with the RJD. ?The state still has a large number of poor and illiterate voters who do not have these cards. So this should not be made a mandatory requirement,? RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary said.

But the poll panel has instructed all district magistrates to ensure that every voter has a card before polling day.

It even got the district magistrate of Jehanabad removed because his progress in the preparation of the voter cards was not good. The Election Commission?s recent decision to have a separate returning officer in every constituency is also part of its efforts to hold fair elections in the state. Teams of the poll panel have been camping in the state, touring the districts and remote areas, almost on a regular basis by now. The security deployment this time is also certain to be highest ever. Even the chief election commissioner would be visiting the state even though the dates have not been announced.