Election Commission likely to announce Bihar polls dates today

Bihar poll dates are likely to be announced by the Election Commission of India. The availability of central forces will decide the phases for polling. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party and an alliance of the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal that has the backing of the Congress will be the main contenders in the polls.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar is seeking a third term after ruling Bihar for ten years. Kumar was earlier allied with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, with which he snapped ties in June 2013 after it projected Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general election.

The BJP, which performed well in the state during the Lok Sabha polls, has an alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party and Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP.

The Bihar polls are expected to be held in five phases and around 50,000 paramilitary personnel will be deployed for each phase to ensure peaceful balloting.