New Delhi

The Election Commission on Monday, October 6, 2025, announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. Voting for the state’s 243 assembly seats will take place in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, followed by the counting of votes on November 14. Bihar’s politics, often known for the formation and collapse of alliances, is once again at a high-stakes moment, with old rivals and new issues taking center stage in the electoral battlefield.

Bihar’s political history has been marked by unstable alliances, often centered around Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In the 2015 Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 80 seats (18.8% vote share), while its ally, the Congress, secured 27 seats (6.8% vote share).

The Janata Dal (United) [JDU], which was then part of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), won 71 seats (17.3% vote share). On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to win 53 seats (25% vote share). However, Nitish Kumar’s alliance with the RJD-Congress was short-lived.

In 2017, Kumar exited the Mahagathbandhan and formed a government with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), where Sushil Kumar Modi became the Deputy Chief Minister. In the 2020 elections as well, Nitish Kumar continued his alliance with the NDA and secured a majority by winning 125 seats.

However, in August 2022, Kumar once again broke ties with the BJP, resigned from the Chief Minister’s post, and formed a government with the RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan. During this period, he emerged as a key figure in the formation of the United Opposition’s ‘INDIA’ bloc.

Yet, Kumar’s ‘romance’ with the RJD lasted barely two years, and in January 2024, just before the parliamentary elections, he rejoined the NDA.

In the upcoming Assembly elections, the NDA alliance is led by Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the BJP. This coalition also includes Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awami Morcha, and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Shakti Party (RLSP).

The NDA will face the ‘INDIA’ bloc, led by former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD. Key allies of the ‘INDIA’ bloc include the Congress, the CPI (ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, CPI, CPI(M), and Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). This time, Bihar politics also sees a new player, Prashant Kishor and his party Jan Suraj, which could influence the election outcomes.

The NDA primarily relies on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charismatic leadership and social welfare schemes implemented by the central and state governments. Recently, on September 26, PM Modi launched the Chief Minister Women Employment Scheme, promoted as a game-changer.

Under this scheme, ₹10,000 was directly transferred into the bank accounts of 7.5 million women. The Prime Minister also inaugurated youth-centric initiatives worth over ₹62,000 crore, including the Jan Nayak Karpuri Thakur Skill University. The BJP is also focusing on alleged corruption and crime during Lalu Yadav’s tenure to attract voters.

Meanwhile, the Tejashwi Yadav-led ‘INDIA’ bloc is focusing its campaign on three main pillars. The first is the vote fraud campaign, alleging that the BJP influenced the Election Commission to manipulate voter lists.

The second key issue is the caste survey conducted during JDU-RJD rule, with promises to increase reservation quotas under the alliance. The third pillar is based on widespread unemployment and allegations of a lack of government jobs.

Meanwhile, following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission has published the final voter list for the Bihar Assembly elections. According to the final list, the total number of voters is 74.2 million, compared to 78.9 million as of June 24 this year.

The Election Commission stated that 6.5 million voters were removed from the draft list, and 2.153 million eligible voters were added, resulting in a total of 74.2 million voters. In Patna’s 14 assembly constituencies, over 163,000 voters were added, while Madhubani district saw an increase of 85,645 and Nalanda district 56,423 voters.

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These elections will determine Bihar’s political future and reflect voter trends in a state once again navigating the politics of unstable alliances.