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New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) Bihar will elect a new 243-seat assembly in a staggered month-long polling from Oct 21 to Nov 20 in what is expected to produce a stiff battle for power.

Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said here that balloting would take place Oct 21 (47 seats), Oct 24 (45) and Oct 28 (48) as well as Nov 1 (42), Nov 9 (35) and Nov 20 (26 seats).

The voting for the Banka Lok Sabha constituency will be held Nov 1. The bye-poll has been caused due to the death of former minister of state for external affairs and rebel Janata Dal-United MP Digvijay Singh.

The vote count will take place across the state Nov 24.

About 55 million people will be eligible to vote in India's third most populous state that is now ruled by a coalition of the JD-U and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The total electorate was put at 5,50,88,402.

Quraishi said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) would be deployed in all the 56,943 polling stations.

The model code of conduct would come into immediate effect, he said.

Both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP welcomed the announcement.

"The long period of polls will be justified if central forces are present in adequate numbers at all the booths," said a cautious Nitish Kumar in Patna.

The BJP said it was ready for the electoral battle but did not say if Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would campaign in the state.

Asked if Modi -- with whom Nitish Kumar does not see eye to eye -- would campaign, BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said the BJP had not yet decided who all would seek votes.

"Whoever (leader) is sought by the candidates will be called. Nobody is untouchable," he said.

Nitish Kumar stoked a row in June during the BJP national executive meet in Patna by objecting to newspapers carrying his photograph with Modi's in an advertisement.

Quraishi said that no opinion or exit polls would be permitted from Oct 19 to Nov 20.

He said the Election Commission took into consideration all relevant factors including the climatic condition, academic schedule and law and order situation before deciding the polling dates.

To dispel doubts about the EVMs, he said they would be randomised and the entire process videographed.

Quraishi said that sufficient security personnel had been provided for the polls.

Central police forces and state armed police from other states would be deployed for poll duty. Central para-military personnel would be deployed mostly for the security of the polling booths, he said.

The election officials and observers have been told to discharge their duties without "fear or favour", Quraishi said. "They will be under constant scrutiny."

Besides general observers, the poll panel would deploy "micro-observers" to keep an eye on the election proceedings in select polling centres.

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