Patna (Bihar) [India], October 6 (ANI): As the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce the Bihar Assembly election schedule on Monday, ruling JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar noted that the public will vote for the political parties based on their performance in the last 20 years.

JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha told reporters, 'We welcome it. Elections are a festival of democracy, and the public will vote based on the work done in Bihar in the past 20 years. The public has made up its mind to vote for the double-engine government...We have a strong track record of serving the people of the state...'

Meanwhile, Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh expressed confidence in the Mahagathbandhan's prospects, asserting that the alliance is 'fully ready' to form the next government in the state.

'The Congress party and Mahagathbandhan are fully prepared... All are ready to form a government under the leadership of the Mahagathbandhan,' he told ANI in Patna.

On the likely announcement of election dates, Singh said the Opposition expects 'free and fair' polls.

'Our only expectation from the Election Commission is that the elections be free and fair, that the poor and deprived sections have the right to vote; otherwise, we don't expect anything else,' he added.

The Election Commission is scheduled to hold a press conference at 4 PM today, where it is expected to announce the schedule for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

On Sunday, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that elections in Bihar will be held before November 22, when the term of the State Assembly ends.

'Bihar has 243 assembly constituencies, 2 for STs and 38 for SCs. The term of the Bihar Legislative Assembly ends on November 22, 2025, and elections will be held before that time... The Election Commission trained booth-level officers for the first time... SIR was launched on June 24, 2025, and completed by the deadline,' Kumar said.

He added that 'no polling station will have more than 1,200 voters' to ensure a smoother voting process.

Currently, the NDA holds 131 seats (BJP 80, JD(U) 45, HAM(S) 4, and 2 Independents), while the Mahagathbandhan controls 111 seats (RJD 77, Congress 19, CPI(ML) 11, CPI(M) 2, CPI 2).

The upcoming elections are expected to witness a direct contest between the ruling NDA led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the Mahagathbandhan spearheaded by the RJD. (ANI)