PATNA, Oct. 5 -- All major political parties in Bihar - including both from the NDA and Grand Alliance - on Saturday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hold the forthcoming assembly polls in Bihar in one phase or maximum two phases during their interaction with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and two Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi who arrived in Patna for 2-day visit. The EC team led by the CEC met representatives of 12 recognised political parties at a top hotel in Patna as part of the ECI's three-day visit to Bihar to assess the poll preparedness in the state ahead of the announcement of state assembly polls. There are speculations the dates of state polls would be announced in the next few days after the ECI winds up its tour in Bihar. In 2020 assembly polls, the election was conducted in three phases, i.e. Oct. 28, Nov 3 and 7 and the counting of votes was conducted on November 10. The ruling NDA had formed a government with a slim majority led by chief minister Nitish Kumar. Later in the day, a press note issued by the ECI said that representatives of political parties during their interaction with CEC and ECI officials suggested that "elections be scheduled immediately after the Chhath festival and that elections be completed in as few phases as possible". "We have urged the EC to conduct the elections in one or two phases. The election process need not be staggered. Also, tallying of faces of voters, especially burqa-clad women, must be ensured with respective EPIC cards so that only genuine voters get to exercise their franchise," said state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, after attending the meeting with ECI full team. He said that conducting of one or two-phase elections would also put less burden of expenses on voters' and candidates of various political parties. Jaiswal said his party had also urged the EC to ensure adequate deployment of CAPF (central armed police force) in areas vulnerable to booth capturing and intimidation of voters. "We have also requested that paramilitary forces be deployed in villages with a heavy population of weaker sections like extremely backward classes, a few days in advance and a flag march like exercise be conducted to instil confidence among the voters," he added. The ruling JD(U) pressed for a one-phase election, as per reports. National working president Sanjay Jha told reporters his party had urged the ECI to conduct the polls in one phase as the law and order situation in Bihar was good. "There is no problem of Naxalism in Bihar and the law and order situation in the state is good. The election in Maharashtra was conducted in one phase. It can be done in Bihar too," Jha said. On the other hand, the Opposition parties, Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD),CPI-ML(Liberation) and other left parties laid stress on holding the polls in two phases even as they sought information from the ECI about the 3.66 lakh voters, whose names were deleted from the final updated electoral rolls published on 30 September after the Special Intensive Revision ( SIR). "We have suggested the election should be done in two phases. Besides, we have raised the issue about the deletion of 3.66 lakh voters from the final updated rolls, whether those deleted have been given the opportunity of two appeals and why they were not given a written order as the final rolls would be freezed once the dates of the polls are announced," said Chittaranjan Gagan, state spokesperson who was part of the three member RJD delegation having met ECI team on Saturday. Abhay Kushwaha, RJD MP and Mukund Singh were other members of the team. Congress leaders, including state president Rajesh Kumar, Shakeel Ahmad Khan and others, who met the ECI team, demanded that the list of names added in the SIR final draft should be made public and also make public the number of voters found to be illegal immigrants in the state. Meanwhile, the ECI team headed by the CEC during its interaction with party representatives sought their active participation at all levels for conduct of free, fair and peaceful polls and also put polling agents at all booths. Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, along with other senior election officers, was also present during these interactions....