Bihar elections: ECI introduces mobile deposit facility for voters

Bihar’s assembly elections are going digital, with a new mobile deposit facility outside polling booths aimed at making voting smoother for citizens. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the initiative is designed to help voters complete necessary procedures without waiting in long queues.

“In order to prevent overcrowding of polling stations, it has been decided that no booth shall have more than 1,200 voters. To make the voting exercise easier for the electors, mobile deposit facility is being introduced at booths,” Kumar said.

The mobile facility is part of a larger package of 17 new initiatives being implemented across the state, which also includes:


100% webcasting at all polling booths, up from 50% previously.

Mandatory verification of VVPAT slips in case of complaints about mismatches with EVM data.

EPIC cards delivered within 15 days of registration under a new standard operating procedure.

Printing larger serial numbers on ballot papers with font size 30 in bold.

Colour photographs of candidates on EVMs, now occupying three-fourths of the photo space.

Counting of postal ballots before the final two rounds of EVM counting.

Digital index cards carrying voter statistics for each constituency.

Booth-level officers carrying identity cards for easy recognition.

Enhanced clarity and readability of EVM ballot papers using the international form of Indian numerals.

Restriction on mobile phones inside booths for security reasons.

The CEC emphasized that these reforms, rolled out for the 243-member Bihar assembly elections, including 38 SC and 2 ST reserved constituencies, will eventually be replicated nationwide.

Additionally, the Election Commission has launched ‘Mother of all Apps’ – ECI Net, a one-stop digital platform enabling web-based monitoring of all polling booths.

Kumar said the combined effect of these initiatives, with the mobile deposit facility at the forefront, is to ensure that voters can engage with the election process more conveniently, safely, and transparently.