Keen to observe India’s general elections firsthand: Australian envoy

New Delhi, March 4 : Australias High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, said on Monday that he is keen to observe Indias upcoming Lok Sabha elections "firsthand" just as he undertook his first official visit to Bihar to meet "prominent political figures".

The countrys biggest democratic exercise will take off with the poll schedule and dates expected to be announced by the Election Commission of India later this month.

Calling elections a "festival of democracy", Green said he hopes to have "interesting conversations" with top political brass in the state.

"In #Bihar - home to the worlds first university at Nalanda & the Bodhi tree - on my first official visit! Look fwd to interesting conversations w prominent political figures in the lead up to Indias general elections - the festival of democracy - that I am keen to observe firsthand," Green posted on X on Monday.

The High Commissioner also met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other top leaders late last month as he visited Uttar Pradesh.

Meeting CM Adityanath at his official residence in Lucknow on February 28, he discussed bilateral trade, investment, education, and technology cooperation between Australia and Uttar Pradesh.

While CM Adityanath called his meeting with Green "fruitful" in a social media post, the latter said that he enjoyed interacting with prominent political leaders in Uttar Pradesh and that it was "fascinating to hear their insights on the political dynamics of the state".

mi/vd