BETTIAH, May 19 -- Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, a team from the Election Commission of India, led by Commissioner Vivek Joshi, on Sunday stressed the need to strengthen the 'interdepartmental coordination' to ensure free and fair election in this part of West Champaran district of Bihar. Joshi, after holding parley with officials of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), forest department, and district administration at Valmikinagar, a picturesque place 110km north of Bettiah, headquarters of West Champaran district, discussed the region's socio-geographic and cultural landscape and emphasised the need to ensure effective participation of border-region voters through a coordinated strategy. "During the meeting, the team reviewed the security arrangements along the India-Nepal border and our preparation for the Assembly elections. The Commission expressed its satisfaction the manner in which the Lok Sabha elections were conducted in the district. We have also been given some directions which would be followed in letter and spirit," said Dinesh Kumar Rai, district magistrate (DM), West Champaran. The election commissioner also took stock of the ground reality by visiting polling stations 14, 15, 16, and 17 at Government Middle School, Bagaha-2, under the Valmikinagar Assembly Constituency. "He also held an audience with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and impressed them upon taking steps to increase the voter participation in the upcoming elections and got to know the impact of recent training on them," said the district magistrate. On their part, the polling staff apprised the election commissioner on how a training session provided to them by the Election Commissioner of India in New Delhi had boosted their confidence and efficiency. They exuded confidence that they would do everything to ensure an increase in voters' turn out during elections. Underscoring the importance of his visit to Champaran, election commissioner Joshi said, "The Election Commission of India is looking to make the Bihar assembly elections 2025 a seamless and exemplary experience for voters, and this visit to Champaran is a bid towards this goal." Expressing his satisfaction that West Champaran's voter turnout was above the state average, he encouraged the administration to take further creative and administrative initiatives to reach or surpass the national average. Among the prominent who attended the meeting were Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar; Suresh Subramaniam, DIG, SSB; Dinesh Kumar Rai, District Election Officer-cum-DM, West Champaran; SP Bagaha; Commandants of the 21st, 44th, 47th, and 65th Battalions of SSB; and Piyush Kumar Barnwal, Divisional forest officer (DFO)-2....