Bihar Panchayat Polls to Wait for Delimitation, Says Samrat Choudhary

Bihar's next panchayat election will not be held until the delimitation exercise is completed, Minister Samrat Choudhary has said, linking the timing of the rural polls to the redrawing of panchayat boundaries.

Speaking to representatives of the state's three-tier panchayat system, Choudhary asked them to come forward with suggestions on how village infrastructure can be improved. Their inputs, he indicated, would feed into planning for rural areas.

The minister also said work would be taken up to establish a panchayat for a population of approximately 7,500, a move that points to smaller units of local governance.

The delimitation exercise is expected to reset the size and number of panchayats before the next round of elections, with the proposed population norm of about 7,500 likely to guide the process.

Panchayat polls in the state are held for the three tiers of local rural bodies. The minister's remarks make clear that the electoral calendar will follow the completion of the boundary exercise rather than precede it.