Patna, Feb. 9: Come April, Bihar residents will witness the biggest democratic exercise at the grassroots. The state government today announced the dates of the 10-phase elections of the local bodies, starting on April 20. The last poll day is May 18.

The exercise will draw attention from far and wide because Bihar was the first state to give 50 per cent reservation to women and 20 per cent to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) in 2006 to drive chief minister Nitish Kumar’s vision of “inclusive growth and growth with justice”.

The rural polls will be free from the political acrimony, though. It will not be contested on party lines unlike in neighbouring Bengal, Gujarat and some other Indian states.

After consultation with almost all the political parties in the state, the Nitish-led government decided to keep the local bodies’ polls “apolitical”. The government decided so also because it would not affect the development work in the state.

The model code of conduct will apply on only those works carried out by the local bodies. The government-sponsored development work being carried out by the administrative agencies would remain unaffected because the elections would be “apolitical”.

There are 8,442 panchayats in Bihar. Over two lakh people’s representatives would be elected for the three-tier panchayati raj institutions through the elections.

The number of panchayat samiti seats to be filled through these elections is 11,534. In district boards, 1,162 seats would be filled up.

There are 1,15,542 seats of member of gram panchayats. The number of seats of panch is the same. The number of seats for mukhiyas and sarpanch is 8,442 each.

The ballot papers for the panchayat elections would be printed in a Calcutta-based press. The cabinet gave its approval to a proposal to assign the work to the press on nomination because it agreed to carry out the work at the rate of the previous panchayat elections in 2006.

The state election commission (SEC) has started preparations for the rural elections. It includes making of electoral rolls and identifying the buildings to be used as polling booths. Separate electoral rolls for these elections are prepared as elections for local bodies are conducted on the basis of wards and not Assembly constituencies.

The SEC also held a meeting with senior state government officials to discuss the security arrangements for conducting free and fair panchayat polls in Bihar.

In 2006 there were 8,463 panchayats in the state. The term of elected representatives, who won panchayat elections in 2006, will come to an end in June this year.