KANPUR, Nov. 3 -- Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Sunday that the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar will be conducted in a completely peaceful and transparent manner under the framework of law as the Election Commission has zero tolerance towards violence. Kumar was in Kanpur for two events, a felicitation ceremony organised by Mathur Samaj and IIT Kanpur where he was conferred distinguished alumni award. Speaking at these two functions, he said: "In Bihar, all voters will have the opportunity to celebrate the election as a festival of democracy." The 243-member Bihar assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, and the counting of votes will take place on November 14. The CEC also said the poll panel was committed to ensuring the world's largest voter list purification drive was completed across the country. "Bihar alone has so far undertaken the world's largest voter list purification campaign. The day other states complete the purification of the list of 510 million voters will also be historic. Once this process is completed nationwide, every citizen will feel proud not only of the EC but also of society as a whole," Kumar said. He further underlined that the EC views all political parties equally, with no distinction between ruling and opposition sides and is fully prepared to ensure free and fair polling. The commission has put in place an extensive administrative and security framework to ensure smooth conduct of the polls. A total of 243 returning officers and an equal number of observers have been deployed across constituencies, working alongside district collectors and police chiefs to oversee every stage of the electoral process. "The EC expects this coordinated effort to make the Bihar election a model of transparency, efficiency and simplicity, setting a benchmark not only for other Indian states but also for electoral systems worldwide," Kumar added....