Liquor Ban Enforced for Bihar Elections

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, liquor shops within three kilometres of the Bihar border in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district will be closed. The directive is to ensure peaceful polls, with closures from November 4 to 6 and November 14, the counting day. Strict penalties apply for violations.

Officials in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district have announced that liquor shops within three kilometres of the Bihar border will be closed as part of the preparatory measures for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on November 6.

The closure is a directive from District Magistrate Divya Mittal, following communications from the Excise Department in Lucknow. The aim is to maintain fair and peaceful polling conditions, according to an official spokesperson.

All liquor retailers in the specified area must cease operations from 6 pm on November 4 until 6 pm on November 6, and again on November 14, the vote-counting day. Violators may face strict penalties under the Excise Act, with no compensation to licence holders for the enforced closure days.

(With inputs from agencies.)