Bihar Polls 2025: Power Plays and Promise Wars

Paromita Das

New Delhi, 5th  November: As the cold season sets in, Bihar stands at the heart of Bharat’s political theatre, with Assembly Election 2025 entering its decisive phase. Campaigning for the first round of voting has concluded, and a heady mix of ambition, populism, and alliances has electrified the state’s mood. For the first time in years, no single party seems strong enough for a clear win, making the contest between the NDA (helmed by PM Modi and Nitish Kumar) and the Mahagathbandhan (led by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav) the most unpredictable in recent history. The battle is not just for power but for the very model of welfare and governance in Bihar.​

The New Welfare Mandate: Tejashwi’s Game-changing Pitch

Tejashwi Yadav, Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face, has thrown down the gauntlet with an ambitious set of promises. On the final campaign day, he declared that every woman in Bihar would receive a one-time payment of ₹30,000 under the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana in January, coinciding with Makar Sankranti — a gesture meant to symbolize a new economic beginning for families across the state. This is not just a welfare cheque, but a signal of economic justice and recognition for women’s critical social role. Previously promised as ₹2,500 per month, Tejashwi’s move to a lump sum is a direct answer to mounting inflation and the rising cost of living.​​

Not stopping there, his manifesto includes a bonus of ₹300 per quintal for paddy and ₹400 for wheat over and above the union government’s increased Minimum Support Price (MSP)—which stands at ₹2,585 per quintal for wheat for the 2026-27 marketing season. The promise of free electricity for irrigation rounds out a package designed to anchor the rural vote, providing immediate economic relief in a region plagued by agrarian hardship and unreliable infrastructure.​​

Tejashwi also tipped his hat to government employees, pledging that transfers would remain within a 70-kilometer radius of their home cadre. For many teachers, health workers, and police, this is a deeply local concern, promising stability for families long uprooted by administrative whims.​

The NDA’s Counterplay: Nitish’s Welfare Legacy

With the NDA, led by Nitish Kumar, the welfare pitch centers on the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, which has already deposited ₹10,000 into the accounts of over a crore women, framed as entrepreneurial seed money rather than direct welfare assistance. The alliance’s focus remains on industry, jobs, and infrastructure parks as catalysts for long-term economic transformation.​

For the NDA, the promise of women’s empowerment is practical: invest in skill, enable self-reliance, and launch new businesses. For the Mahagathbandhan, it’s about immediate financial aid, economic justice, and direct empowerment. Both alliances understand that Bihar’s women, farmers, and public servants could make or break the election.​

Alliances and Fragmented Power: Who Wins Bihar?

The NDA is a coalition of five parties — BJP, JDU, LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Across the aisle, Mahagathbandhan’s tent is even wider, including the RJD, Congress, the trio of Left parties (CPI, CPIML, CPIM), Vikassheel Insaan Party, and Bharatiya Inclusive Party (IIP). With smaller parties carrying critical blocks of voters, the outcome could hinge on hyper-local swings, not just marquee leaders.​

Welfare, Competition, and the Future of Bihar

What emerges in Bihar is more than an electoral fight. It’s a test of whether direct cash transfers and aggressive welfare can outshine promises of entrepreneurship and job creation. Tejashwi’s immediate cash promise, and the NDA’s argument for sustainable empowerment, mark opposite ends of Bharat’s policy spectrum. Yet, the joy or disappointment for millions will depend on how efficiently these schemes are delivered, sustained, and targeted—a lesson Bihar has learned the hard way in past cycles.

A Mandate That Will Redefine Bihar’s Future

As voters head to the polls, Bihar stands on the precipice of big change. The Assembly Elections 2025 are not simply about choosing a party or a face; they are about deciding which welfare vision will drive the state’s progress. Whether Tejashwi Yadav’s ‘big bang’ welfare plans or Nitish Kumar’s steady hand win the day, the stakes are immense—for families, farmers, and the future. Bihar’s verdict will serve as a blueprint, not just for itself, but for all of Bharat’s federal democracy.