Written by Aviral Pandey
As the 2025 Bihar Assembly election approaches, there isboth hope and fatigue. This election, perhaps more than any before, is a referendum on jobs, migration, and the credibility of political promises. The RJD and Tejashwi Yadav’s campaign centres on the bold promise of “Ek Parivar, Ek Naukri” (one government job per family), a key pillar of his manifesto Tejashwi Ka Pran. It also includes an MAA Yojana (monthly allowance for women), free electricity up to 200 units, farm loan waivers, expanded scholarships, and a return to the old pension system. He has pledged to regularise all contractual workers, while the BETI scheme (Benefit, Education, Training, Income) aims to empower girls. The MAA scheme (Makaan, Ann, Aamdani) focuses on housing, food, and income support for women. Tejashwi has also promised pensions and Rs 50 lakh insurance coverage for panchayat representatives, doubled allowances, and higher margins for PDS workers — portraying a vision of social justice, dignity, and economic security for Bihar’s people.
Yet, the scale of this promise is difficult to reconcile with the fiscal reality. Bihar’s public expenditure is already stretched, and its revenue generation remains among the lowest in India. The state’s per-capita income is roughly half the national average, while unemployment and underemployment persist at high levels. The challenge is not only fiscal but also structural. For decades, Bihar has struggled to attract large industries, modernise agriculture, and build a dynamic private sector. The dream of universal government employment collides with an economy that still fails to generate adequate opportunities for its growing workforce. Still, the promise resonates deeply because it evokes inclusion and justice — values that remain at the heart of Bihar’s political imagination.
In contrast, the ruling NDA, led by the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), has unveiled a sankalp patra of unprecedented ambition. Its blueprint envisions a “Viksit Bihar” powered by both industrial and social renewal. At its core lies the Panchamrit Guarantee Scheme, a comprehensive welfare promise aimed at eradicating poverty. Under this scheme, poor and marginalised families will receive free ration, 125 units of free electricity, medical treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh, 50 lakh new pucca houses, and social security pensions.
The NDA has described this as Bihar’s most significant step toward ending poverty. Alongside these welfare measures, the manifesto outlines plans to create one crore “Lakhpati Didis” through women’s self-help groups, establish mega skill centres in every district, and transform Bihar into a global skill hub. It also envisions Metro services in four cities, direct foreign flights, and at least one industrial or manufacturing unit in each district, including semiconductor production and a defence corridor.
For farmers, the NDA has pledged to extend minimum support prices beyond paddy, introduce the Karpuri Thakur Samman Nidhi, under which farmers will receive an additional Rs 3,000 per year on top of the Rs 6,000 per year provided under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and, promote agricultural exports. Agricultural infrastructure is set to receive an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in the next government term. The plan to make North Bihar flood-free within five years and to develop world-class educational infrastructure in the state, including an Education City, reflects a governance model seeking to blend welfare with structural modernisation.
Beyond economic promises, the NDA’s Sankalp Patra is also a political statement as it aims to consolidate its reach among economically backward classes. A committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge will be constituted to recommend measures for their empowerment, and they will also receive support of up to Rs 10 lakh. The inclusion of schemes like the Jubba Sahni Matsya Palak Sahayata Yojana (Rs 4,500 per year) for fisherfolk and targeted welfare measures for marginalised castes reflects a conscious strategy of social inclusion. It seeks to weave together the twin threads of aspiration and identity — delivering development while reinforcing representation. The Sankalp Patra also articulates the ambitious goal of the “Made in Bihar for the World” initiative.
However, the gap between vision and implementation remains Bihar’s defining challenge. Despite improved infrastructure, power supply, and rural connectivity over the past decade, the state’s industrial base remains weak. Many of the NDA’s past promises, from job creation to private investment, have advanced slowly, constrained by bureaucratic inertia, land bottlenecks, and limited fiscal room. For many citizens, development has been visible but uneven roads and bridges have multiplied, yet meaningful livelihoods have lagged behind. The NDA’s strength lies in its credibility and continuity, but its vulnerability lies in expectations that have outpaced delivery.
Amid these competing narratives stands Jan Suraaj, led by Prashant Kishor, presenting an alternative politics rooted in Jan Swaraj, “self-rule by the people”. This movement rejects the transactional politics of handouts and caste alliances, instead emphasising participatory governance, local accountability, and moral reform. Its message is less about subsidies and more about systems, thus empowering citizens to take charge of schools, health centres, and panchayats. Though it lacks the organisational depth of established parties, its appeal among young and educated voters signals a slow but meaningful political awakening. In a state where the bureaucracy and political elite have long monopolised power, Jan Suraaj’s message of decentralisation resonates as both a critique and a hope.
As the 2025 election nears, Bihar’s contest has crystallised into three clear visions, including the NDA’s developmental pragmatism, Tejashwi’s populism and Jan Suraaj’s reformism. Each offers a different rhythm to the same symphony of aspiration. Tejashwi promises instant relief through direct employment and subsidies, the NDA guarantees patient progress through infrastructure, investment, and social engineering, and Jan Suraaj calls for a new moral contract between citizens and the state. The coming months will test which narrative Bihar finds most convincing, the comfort of immediate promises, the discipline of gradual reform, or the faith in citizen-led renewal.
The writer teaches Economics at Patna University
As the 2025 election nears, Bihar’s contest has crystallised into three clear visions, including the NDA’s developmental pragmatism, Tejashwi’s populism and Jan Suraaj’s reformism. (ANI/PTI) 
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