Bihar will open its EVM strongrooms at 8 am on Friday and begin counting across 46 centres under a three-tier security ring, with central forces on the inner cordon, state police outside, 24x7 CCTV feeds, and entry tightly controlled by observers and magistrates. The Election Commission and district administrations spent the past week stress-testing those rings: drills, camera checks, access logs, and crowd-control plans.
What 'three-tier security' actually means
Tier 1: Inner cordon (strongroom hall). Handled by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The strongroom where EVMs/VVPATs are stored remains sealed under round-the-clock CAPF guard; CCTV runs continuously. On counting morning, the strongroom is unsealed on video in the presence of candidates/agents and the ECI observer before any tray is moved.
Tier 2: Middle cordon (counting building/campus). Managed by state armed police; frisking points, magnetometers, and pass systems apply. Dedicated control rooms are staffed by police and executive magistrates to watch live camera feeds and incident logs.
Tier 3: Outer cordon (perimeter and approach roads). District police plus home guards handle traffic diversions, barricades, and crowd dispersal outside the campus. Expect temporary parking bans and restricted movement around counting sites in major towns.
Who gets in and who doesn’t
Allowed: counting staff on duty, ECI observers, micro-observers, candidates, and authorised counting agents with passes. Strongroom opening is done on camera with candidates/agents present.
Not allowed: supporters and the general public inside the campus; press access is typically handled via media rooms or pooled visuals from the control room’s CCTV screens, district by district. (Practice varies by centre; Patna DM flagged a strict pass system and live monitoring).
Cameras, drones, social, and the tech layer
Districts have set up 24x7 CCTV in strongrooms and counting halls, with control rooms recording streams for audit.
Police are also leaning on drone patrols in sensitive pockets, bomb squads, and mounted teams in riverine (diara) belts, tools used during polling and retained for counting-day crowd management. Social media cells continue to scan for misinformation and mobilisation calls.
Headcount and boots on the ground
In the polling phases, Bihar drew on 1,500+ companies of central forces, plus 45,000 district police and 22,000 home guards. Many of those central units remain tasked to the counting centres and EVM corridors till results are declared and form-taking is complete. Preventive actions already ran deep: over 4.08 lakh preventive detentions across October–early November, large seizures (including liquor and cash/precious metals), externment of habitual offenders, and warrants executed to thin out local risks.
Patna, and what big districts are doing
In Patna, the DM reviewed the strongroom and confirmed the three-tier arrangement, CAPF inner ring, 24x7 CCTV, and live monitoring for candidates. Staff training and dry runs have been ongoing this week. Expect traffic curbs around the counting campus.
West Champaran (Bettiah) spelt it out publicly: CAPF inside, district police outside, CCTV access for candidates’ representatives, and a recorded opening of the strongroom on counting morning. The model there is broadly what other districts are following.
Border and liquor controls that spill into counting day
Even outside Bihar, neighbouring districts tightened rules: liquor shops within 3 km of the Bihar border in parts of eastern UP (e.g., Deoria) were ordered shut during poll windows, and local orders referenced Nov 14 counting as well.
Expect dry-day style enforcement around sensitive borders through results to dampen crowds and incidents.
Counting schedule
8:00 am: Counting of postal ballots begins.
8:30 am: EVM counting starts.
14 tables per constituency, each table handles one EVM per round, meaning 14 EVMs per round.
Each round: 10–15 minutes, depending on staff speed and machine clearances.
First trends: Expected between 9–9:15 am (confirmed by district election officials in Patna and Muzaffarpur).
Result order: Seats with fewer polling booths like Mokama (Patna district) likely to finish early; Digha, the largest urban seat, expected to close last.
Patna-specific arrangements
Counting venue: A.N. College, Patna (covering 14 assembly segments).
Traffic restrictions: Boring Road, Rajapur Bridge, Shivpuri, and adjoining stretches closed from 5 am except for emergency vehicles.
Area sealed: Full perimeter secured; movement restricted to staff with valid passes.
After results
Form 20 & victory certificate issued by the Returning Officer on-site.
EVMs resealed and kept in strongrooms for 45 days post-result; data preserved for six months.
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