A meeting of the Multi-Departmental Committee on Election Intelligence, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, was held in New Delhi on October 17, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Ahead of the upcoming Assembly election in Bihar, the Election Commission on Friday (October 17, 2025) directed law enforcement agencies to map all the constituencies in the State to check transportation of smuggled goods, drugs, liquor and cash, including fake currency, across inter-State and international borders.
Bihar shares an international border with Nepal.
The direction was given at a meeting of enforcement agencies and forces to tackle movement of cash, drugs, liquor and other inducements during the upcoming election, which is being held in two phases on November 6 and 11, while results would be declared on November 14.
The meeting of the Multi-Departmental Committee on Election Intelligence (MDCEI), chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, was held at the EC headquarters in the national capital.
The meeting was held in order to prepare a comprehensive road map to combat the pernicious effects of cash and other inducements in the election. It sensitised the law enforcement agencies about their role in ensuring pro-active and preventive action during elections, the EC said in a statement.
Heads of all enforcement agencies, including the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Directorate of Enforcement, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Financial Intelligence Unit, Reserve Bank of India, Indian Banks’ Association, Narcotics Control Bureau, Railway Protection Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Border Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Airports Authority of India, and Postal Department took part in the meeting. Others who joined virtually included the Chief Secretary, Director-General of Police, State Police Nodal Officer (SPNO), and Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar.
The different agencies briefed the Commission regarding their preparation and steps taken and proposed for ensuring inducement free elections. The briefings were on a wide-range of topics pertaining to curbing the use of money and other inducements to vitiate elections were made.
The poll body instructed that there should be co-operation and sharing of intelligence of economic offences amongst law enforcement agencies for effective action.
It emphasised intra-agency co-ordination at national, State and district levels and directed agencies to ensure a policy of “zero-tolerance” for free and fair elections in Bihar.
Published – October 17, 2025 08:32 pm IST