(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Under the International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP) of the Election Commission of India (ECI), 16 delegates from seven countries witnessed "never before" arrangements for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Thursday.

The participating countries include Indonesia, Colombia, the Philippines, France, Belgium, South Africa, and Thailand.

The inaugural session of the IEVP 2025 was held at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi on Tuesday. The session was attended by all 16 delegates representing the seven countries.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi interacted with the participants, providing insights into India's robust electoral framework.

The delegates were given a demonstration of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and briefed by senior ECI officials on key aspects of election management, including the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of free and fair elections.

As part of the programme, the delegates are undertaking a two-day visit to Bihar, which began on Wednesday, where they are observing EVM dispatch centres and witnessing the polling process firsthand.

The IEVP is one of ECI's flagship initiatives for international cooperation and engagement with Election Management Bodies (EMBs) worldwide. Since 2014, the IEVP has been showcasing the strengths of India's electoral system to the international community and sharing the best practices adopted in the world's largest democracy for polling.

Meanwhile, polling for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began at 7 a.m. across 18 districts of the state.

Voting is being conducted in 121 Assembly constituencies, and 1,314 candidates, including 1,192 male and 122 female candidates, are in the fray of this election.

According to the Election Commission, a total of 3,75,13,302 electors, including 1,98,35,325 males, 1,76,77,219 females, and 758 third gender voters, will decide the fate of 1314 candidates in this election.

The total number of polling stations is 45,341, including 36,733 in the rural areas and 8,608 in the urban areas.

The ECI has declared 320 model stations, 926 women-managed and 107 PwD-managed in these districts. The webcasting will be available in all 45,341 polling stations.

Patna alone has 5,677 polling stations, including 541 women-only stations, 49 model polling stations, 14 PwD-friendly polling stations and three youth-themed booths.

Polling will continue till 6 p.m. in the general booths. However, in six Assembly constituencies located in Naxal-affected areas, voting will conclude at 5 p.m.

Voting is underway in Khagaria, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Patna, Bhojpur, Madhepura, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, and Buxar.

Unprecedented security arrangements are in place for the first phase. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed across all 18 districts, with special patrols positioned at sensitive and hyper-sensitive booths.

The Patna district administration said security personnel have been stationed at every booth to prevent any disturbance or spread of rumours.

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