Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday informed that the polls in the state will be held before November 22. He said that the assembly election will be conducted in Bihar when the current term of the State Assembly ends

He said the elections to the 243-member assembly will be completed before the expiry of its term on November 22.

Kumar on Sunday voiced satisfaction over the completion of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, claiming that the exercise "purified" the voters' list after 22 years.

"We have an ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) in each of the 243 constituencies. They were assisted by 90,207 BLOs in completing the SIR exercise, which has purified the voters' list after 22 years," he said.

The CEC further praised voters on the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), requesting the people of the state to participate in the upcoming assembly elections.

“We congratulate the voters of India. Thank you to everyone for the successful SIR process. I appeal to all the voters of Bihar to celebrate this festival of democracy with the same enthusiasm as you celebrate Chhath. Everyone should vote and ensure their participation,” Kumar said.

Claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) "purified" Bihar's voters' list after 22 years, CEC Kumar said many new initiatives were being undertaken for the upcoming assembly elections in the state, and these would be replicated across the country in due course.

Addressing a press conference in Patna before winding up his tour of the state, Kumar said these initiatives include a new SOP (standard operating procedure) to ensure that EPIC cards are delivered to voters within 15 days of registration and a mobile deposit facility at polling booths.

In how many phases will the upcoming Bihar assembly polls be held, the Election Commission was asked in Patna today.

"We have listened to parties suggesting how many phases there should be, and the Election Commission will take a decision soon. Everything has pros and cons, and we will look into it," Kumar said responding to a question on number of phases.

The last time an intensive revision of electoral rolls had taken place in Bihar was in 2003.

The CEC, who was accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sindhu and Vivek Joshi, held discussions with political parties and reviewed poll preparedness with officials during his two-day stay.