Paid holiday for employed Bihar electors for voting on Nov 6, 11: ECI

New Delhi: The ECI on Saturday announced a paid holiday for employed electors on the two polling days for the Bihar Assembly elections and warned employers of a penalty if they deduct wages of their staff for absence on November 6 and 11.

“The Commission has directed the State governments to issue necessary instructions to all concerned for strict compliance with these provisions and to ensure that all electors are able to exercise their franchise freely and conveniently,” said the Election Commission of India (ECI) in a circular.

As per the ECI’s schedule, by-elections to eight Assembly Constituencies in seven states will also be held on November 11.

Deputy Director, ECI, P. Pawan said in a circular, “As per Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 every person employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking, or any other establishment, and entitled to vote at an election to the House of the People or to the Legislative Assembly of a State/UT, shall be granted a paid holiday on the day of poll.”

“No deduction of wages shall be made on account of such a paid holiday. Any employer who contravenes these provisions shall be liable to a fine. All daily wage and casual workers are also entitled to a paid holiday on the day of the poll,” it said.

The Commission clarified that electors (including casual and daily wage workers) who are working or employed in industrial or commercial establishments located outside their constituency but are registered as voters in a constituency going to polls shall also be entitled to the benefit of a paid holiday on the day of the poll to enable them to cast their vote.

On Friday, the ECI convened the heads of multiple enforcement and security agencies to tighten vigilance against the movement of cash, drugs, liquor and other illicit inducements during the Bihar poll campaign.

The meeting of the Multi-Departmental Committee on Election Intelligence (MDCEI) was held at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The Commission stressed the need for proactive surveillance and preventive action to curb electoral malpractices that could influence voter behaviour.

–IANS