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2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election
Elections for the 18th Legislative assembly of Bihar 2025 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Legislative Assembly elections were held in Bihar from 6 November and 11 November 2025 to elect the 243 members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on 14 November 2025.
 | This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the election progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
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Background
The tenure of Bihar Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end on 22 November 2025.[3] The previous assembly elections were held in October–November 2020. After the election, the National Democratic Alliance formed the state government, with Nitish Kumar becoming Chief Minister.[4]
On 9 August 2022, the JD(U) ended its alliance with the BJP and Nitish Kumar resigned as Chief Minister.[5] On 10 August 2022, JD(U) joined the Mahagathbandhan alliance with the RJD and the INC, with Nitish Kumar again taking oath as Chief Minister of the state.[6]
In January 2024, the JD(U) ended its alliance with Mahagathbandhan and Nitish Kumar resigned as Chief Minister.[7] He formed the new government with BJP-led NDA and was sworn in as the Chief Minister again.[8]
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Schedule
The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Bihar Legislative Assembly election on 6 October 2025.[9]
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Parties and alliances
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National Democratic Alliance
Mahagathbandhan
On 23 October 2025, Tejashwi Yadav was announced as the Chief Ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan for the election,[21][22] with Mukesh Sahani being the Deputy CM face.[23][24]
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- Although RJD had given the Gaura Bauram constituency to VIP as per seat sharing agreement, RJD’s Afzal Ali Khan refused to withdraw and surrender RJD symbol, ultimately contesting as an RJD candidate. RJD and Mahagathbandhan allies supported VIP candidate Santosh Sahani from the constituency.[27][28]
- Nomination of VIP candidate Shashi Bhushan Singh from Sugauli constituency was rejected.[39]
- Nomination of VIP candidate Ganesh Bharti from Kusheshwar Asthan constituency was rejected, he contested as an Independent from the same constituency.[40]
- Mahagathbandhan extended its support to JJD candidate Shyam Kishore Chaudhary from Sugauli constituency after nomination of VIP candidate Shashi Bhushan Singh was rejected.[46]
Grand Democratic Alliance
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Others
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Candidates
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A total of 2,616 candidates were contesting for the 243 assembly seats in the election.[65][66]
- Mahagathbandhan extended its support to JJD candidate Shyam Kishore Chaudhary from Sugauli constituency after nomination of VIP candidate Shashi Bhushan Singh was rejected.[70]
- Nomination of VIP candidate Ganesh Bharti from Kusheshwar Asthan constituency was rejected, he contested as an Independent from the same constituency.[72]
- Although RJD had given the Gaura Bauram constituency to VIP as per seat sharing agreement, RJD’s Afzal Ali Khan refused to withdraw and surrender RJD symbol, ultimately contesting as an RJD candidate. RJD and Mahagathbandhan allies supported VIP candidate Santosh Sahani from the constituency.[73][74]
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Campaign
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The 2025 campaign centered on a mix of local and socio-economic issues. Unemployment and migration were prominent themes: parties noted that many Bihar youth migrate out of state for work, and competing manifestos promised large-scale job creation.[77] Caste politics also remained a key factor. All major parties pledged to support a new caste census and "social justice" measures, reflecting widespread calls to address the state's caste-based inequalities.[78] Corruption and governance were attacked by the opposition; for example, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the Nitish Kumar government of "institutionalising corruption" and misusing government schemes (like a women's outreach programme) for electioneering.[79] The ruling alliance countered by criticizing the RJD's past ("jungle raj") and highlighting its own welfare record. A major flashpoint was the voter roll revision (Special Intensive Revision, SIR) carried out by the Election Commission. Opposition parties claimed the intensive revision was a partisan tool, alleging mass deletions of voters and promising protests or even an election boycott.[80]
Party campaign strategies
- NDA (BJP, JD(U), LJP(R), RLM, HAM(S)): The ruling coalition ran on a platform of development and social welfare. It emphasized caste-based outreach and welfare delivery, and frequently invoked Prime Minister Modi's leadership. The BJP also attacked the RJD over law and order and historic scams, while JD(U) emphasized Nitish Kumar's governance. Seat-sharing talks between BJP and JD(U) indicated a near-equal division.
- RJD (leading Mahagathbandhan): The RJD centered its campaign on employment, youth issues, and anti-incumbency. Tejashwi Yadav pledged massive job creation and ran a digital-heavy campaign, including AI-generated videos and memes. The RJD organized backward caste meetings and positioned itself as the party of Dalits, OBCs, and the poor.[81]
- Jan Suraaj Party: Led by Prashant Kishor, Jan Suraaj positioned itself as an alternative to both NDA and the INDIA bloc. Kishor organized the Bihar Badlav Yatra, pledged to contest all 243 seats, and focused on governance, education, and clean politics. Between October 2022 and October 2024, he undertook padayatra across Bihar, walking over 5,000 km and visiting more than 5,500 villages to engage with local communities directly.[82][83] At the party's launch, Kishor announced provisions such as candidate selection through US-style primaries, the right to recall legislators who fail to perform, and a pledge that 90% of candidates would be first-time contestants.[84][85]
- Congress: As a partner in the Mahagathbandhan, the Congress highlighted youth migration and unemployment, notably through leader Kanhaiya Kumar's padyatra. Rahul Gandhi planned a multi-day campaign tour of Bihar in August 2025, criticizing voter list issues and advocating electoral reforms.[86][87]
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Issues
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Unemployment
Bihar faces a severe unemployment crisis, particularly among youth and educated graduates. Many young Biharis are forced to migrate to other states for work due to lack of opportunities. Both the ruling NDA and opposition Mahagathbandhan had made job creation and youth empowerment key promises, with pledges such as government jobs for every household, skill centers, and massive investment packages.[88][89]
Allegations of electoral roll manipulation
Allegations of voter roll manipulation were made by the opposition Mahagathbandhan. The Election Commission carried out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), resulting in mass deletions of over six million names of people, who had died, migrated out of the state or were duplicates, from electoral rolls. Opposition parties alleged these deletions disproportionately harmed minorities, women, and migrant workers, and launched campaigns against the alleged voter suppression. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the government and Election Commission of allegedly stealing votes. [90][91][92][93] While the NDA defended the SIR as necessary to ensure accurate electoral rolls by removing dead voter's names, ineligible voters and voters who have moved out of the state. [94][95]
Migration
Driven by lack of employment, lakhs of Bihari youth migrate to other states each year. Both camps have made migration a major talking point, linking it directly to economic stagnation and poor governance.[96]
Corruption
Corruption continues to be a significant issue in Bihar’s governance. It hampers development and the effective implementation of welfare programs. Allegations include bribery, favoritism, and financial mismanagement in various sectors such as public distribution, infrastructure projects, and government recruitment. The prevalence of corruption undermines public confidence in political leadership.[97]
Development deficit
Despite various government efforts, Bihar remains underdeveloped in critical areas like infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Many rural areas lack access to adequate roads, electricity, hospitals, and schools. These shortcomings are persistent voter concerns influencing election outcomes.[98][99]
Law and order
Law and order problems, including caste-based violence, crime rates, and political intimidation, affect public safety. Improving policing and justice systems was a key election promise by competing parties.[100][101]
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Controversies
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Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls
On 24 June 2025, the Election Commission (EC) notified that it will conduct a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar before the elections. The exercise requires all the voters from the state to fill forms to be included in the voter list. People whose names were not in the 2003 voter lists need to provide additional documents. The notification also mentioned that the documents needed to be submitted within a month (with 25 July being the deadline).
Further, the voters need to provide one of the eleven documents mandated by the EC, with the common documents such as the Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration cards, not included as valid documents. A significant number of people in Bihar do not have any of the 11 documents. Furthermore, a significant population of the state migrate in other parts of India for work or study and it is estimated that at least 75 lakh (7.5 million) people from Bihar migrate to other parts of India.[102] Critics have argued it would be difficult for such voters to be a part of this exercise. Such factors have led to fears of mass exclusion of voters. Opposition parties – such as the INDIA alliance – alleged that such an exercise will favor the ruling NDA alliance. The Election Commission denied these allegations and claimed that the exercise is lawful and constitutional.[103][104][105][102]
The SIR was challenged in the Supreme Court. On 10 July, the court advised the Election Commission to consider the Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration cards as valid documents for the exercise.[106] On 21 July, the Election Commission responded by saying that it will not accept the Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration cards as valid documents, as suggested by the Supreme Court.[107]
In August, Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the opposition, Bihar, alleged his name was removed from the voter list after the SIR exercise. The Election commission dismissed the allegations as factually incorrect[108] and declared the EPIC number shown by him to the media was fake. The poll body asked him to submit the fake voter ID card to the ECI office by 16 August 2025.[109]
In August 2025, Rahul Gandhi made allegations against BJP about election commission.[110][111] The ECI dismissed the allegations as misleading,[112][113] and asked him to submit the allegations under oath or apologise to the nation.[114]
AI doctored videos
Ahead of the elections, two doctored videos falsely showing Indian Army officials criticising tri-military "Trishul 2025" exercises as a political stunt were circulated widely on X. Fact-checks by iVerify and Indian media established that the viral videos were fabricated using dubbed or synthetic audio to spread misinformation.[115][116][117][118]
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Surveys and polls
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Opinion polls
Exit polls
The exit polls were declared on 11 November 2025.[120][121]
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Voter turnout
Voting by phase
Results
Results by alliance or party
Results by district
Results by constituency
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See also
References
External links
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