India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, on Oct 6, whilst announcing the 2025 Bihar Assembly election dates called it “the mother of all elections”. With a total of 7.42 crore voters, of which 14 lakh are first-time voters, it’s hard to argue with the guy.
What is Bihar voting for?
Bihar will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and 11 with the result declared on November 14. Simple math will tell you that each of Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies, on average, has over 5,700 first-time voters this year. With victory margins falling, first-time voters may make or break the race for Bihar.
With that in mind, what are the three key issues that contenders must take note of?
Unemployment in Bihar
Unemployment - the perennial problem plaguing scores of Bihari youth. Bihar’s unemployment rate for 2022-23 stood at 3.9%, well above India’s average of 3.2%. And given that the state is largely agrarian and rural, underemployment too remains extremely high.
Bihar is second only to UP when it comes to people leaving their home state in search of greener pastures. I mean how can one forget the appalling visuals of lakhs of migrants walking back to Bihar from places like Mumbai, as the first COVID lockdown took effect in 2020.
Poor quality education
While Bihar has set up new schools and colleges across the state, the quality of education remains another key factor triggering the out-migration of Biharis. Bihar consistently ranks among the worst when it comes to literacy rates. Further compounding the problem is the issue of question paper leaks. Remember Bihar’s Patna was the focal point in 2024’s NEET-UG paper leak.
Rampant corruption
Allegations of wrongdoing, particularly involving the liquor and sand mafias, have plagued the incumbent NDA faction. Case in point, the multiple bridges that have collapsed over the past few years, including in Saharsa district in June 2025 and Saran district in June 2024.
The newest entrant to Bihar politics -- Prashant Kishor -- has promised to end prohibition in the state. He claims that Nitish Kumar’s 2016 ban on alcohol, though popular, only made things worse. The ban resulted in a surge of illicit liquor being produced and sold across the state, causing several hooch-related deaths.
Bihar Assembly Elections 2025: The bottomline
There might be a silent storm of anti-incumbency that could threaten Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s crown. That’s what the lead challenger -- RJD's Tejashwi Yadav -- is betting on, and even new entrants like Prashant Kishor.
