BIHAR EC DESPELS CONFUSION REGARDING BIHAR PANCHAYAT ELECTION 2026

BIHAR EC DESPELS CONFUSION REGARDING BIHAR PANCHAYAT ELECTION 2026

19-DEC-ENG 9

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA------------------------Amidst misleading information circulating on social media regarding the proposed Panchayat General Elections in Bihar in 2026, the State Election Commission has clarified the situation. In a press release issued by the commission, factual information has been provided regarding the timeline of the panchayat elections, the reservation process, and the voting system. The commission has clearly stated that the term of the current panchayat representatives is until December 2026, therefore, there is no rush regarding the elections.

Joint Election Commissioner of the State Election Commission, Shambhu Kumar, said that confusion is being spread through social media regarding the reservation of various posts in Gram Panchayat and Gram Kachahari for the Panchayat General Elections 2026. He clarified that the panchayat elections will be completed before December 2026.

The Joint Election Commissioner informed that the last Panchayat General Elections were held between August and December 2021, and the newly elected representatives took oath between the last week of December 2021 and the first week of January 2022. Based on this, the term of the current representatives will end in December 2026. The claims of elections being held in March-April are completely baseless and misleading.

He also clarified that in the Panchayat General Elections 2026, elections for all posts will be conducted through multi-post EVMs. This will include the posts of Gram Panchayat Member, Mukhiya, Panchayat Samiti Member, Zila Parishad Member, Gram Kachahari Sarpanch, and Panch. A policy decision in this regard has already been taken by the state government.

The commission stated that there is a provision for reservation under Sections 13, 38, 65, and 91 of the Bihar Panchayat Raj Act 2006, and the reservation process is carried out after every two consecutive elections. The elections of 2016 and 2021 were conducted based on the reservation done in 2016. Similarly, the reservation process will be completed in time before the Panchayat General Elections 2026. The State Election Commission has appealed to the general public not to pay attention to unverified and misleading information circulating on social media. All official information related to the 2026 Panchayat General Elections will be released by the Commission from time to time. The Commission has urged people to rely only on official press releases and credible sources of information.