Bihar to hold 10-phased panchayat polls in April-May

Patna, Feb 23 (IANS) The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday formally approved a proposal to hold 10-phased elections for the 2.58 lakh panchayat posts in the state in April-May.

"The state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to hold the panchayat polls in April and May 2016," said an official in the Chief Minister's Office.

According to officials, the notification for the panchayat polls will be issued on February 28.

The first phase would be held on April 24 and the last and 10th phase on May 30.

The state government had earlier announced that the panchayat elections would be held on a non-party basis.

Over 5.5 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots.

In 2006, Bihar became the first state to reserve 50 percent seats for women in panchayats.