What to Expect from Bihar 2025 Elections
NDA banks on welfare record, Opposition targets unemployment and corruption
By Harshita Rai
With Assembly elections around the corner, Bihar is bracing for a high-pitched contest between the ruling NDA and the Opposition alliance.
The NDA is banking on welfare schemes, women empowerment programmes, and infrastructure development to retain power. BJP and JD(U) leaders are expected to project their governance record as a shield against anti-incumbency.
NDA’s Strengths
- Welfare schemes: PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, free ration, women’s Ujjwala scheme.
- Infrastructure push: Roads, bridges, rural electrification, and irrigation projects.
- Governance record: BJP-JD(U) highlighting Nitish Kumar’s “sushasan” (good governance) legacy.
- Women’s support: Schemes targeted at women, including self-help groups and reservations in local bodies.
- Central leadership: Strong backing from PM Modi and Union Cabinet, with frequent rallies planned.
On the other hand, the RJD-Congress combine is sharpening its attack on issues of unemployment, inflation, corruption, and law and order. The Opposition is also counting on anti-NDA consolidation, especially among young and first-time voters.
Opposition’s Pitch
- Jobs & unemployment: RJD-Congress targeting lack of employment opportunities for youth.
- Inflation & economy: Rising prices of essentials, agrarian distress, and economic inequality in focus.
- Corruption narrative: Attacks on alleged scams, cronyism, and law-and-order failures.
- Caste mobilisation: Banking on Yadav-Muslim consolidation, along with outreach to Dalits and OBC groups.
- Youth & student politics: Using campus networks, social media campaigns, and street mobilisation to energise young voters.
Decisive Factors
Caste equations, historically the fulcrum of Bihar politics, will remain crucial. Political observers believe that mobilisation of women voters and youth could tilt the balance in key constituencies.
The elections, likely to be held in multiple phases between October and November 2025, will decide the future of the state’s 243-member Assembly.
Key Battlelines
- 243 Assembly seats at stake.
- Multi-phase polls expected in October–November 2025.
- Final voter list published September 30 after revisions.
- High-stakes contests expected in Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, and Seemanchal belt.
- Swing voters: Women and first-time voters could decide the final outcome.
Political Climate
Analysts say Bihar’s political temperature will spike once dates are announced. NDA is trying to defend its turf by projecting development and welfare, while the Opposition is betting on discontent over jobs, price rise, and governance fatigue.
Both alliances are preparing for a bruising electoral fight that could reset the state’s political balance ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
