Bihar assembly election 2025: Phase 2 ends with 67.14% voter turnout - highest in history. What to expect next?

The polling for the phase 2 of the Bihar assembly election 2025 ended on Tuesday (Nov 11) with the voter turnout of 67.14 per cent. The poll campaign for the same ran till Sunday (Nov 9). The first phase of the polling, on November 6, had a voter turnout of 64.6 per cent - which was the highest in the Bihar assembly polls. For the second phase, 122 constituencies (20 districts) went to the polls.

Who said what during the campaign?

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the voters ahead of the second phase of polls to vote. “I have a special appeal to the young companions of the state who are going to vote for the first time that they should not only cast their vote themselves but also inspire others to do so,” he said in a post on X.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a poll rally in Kishanganj and Purnea, alleged that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and RSS were trying to divide the nation. He claimed that the INDIA bloc, in contrast, was making efforts to unite the nation.

Meanwhile, RJD leader and the CM face of the INDIA bloc, Tejashwi Yadav, promised government jobs for at least one member of every family and stipends for women. "You have given the NDA a chance to rule for 20 years. Give me a chance. I will prove myself in 20 months," he said in the campaign.

On the other hand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a rally in Sasaram, alleged that the INDIA bloc was trying to build a 'corridor for infiltrators'.

The current CM of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, is seeking his fifth consecutive term and ninth term as Bihar CM. The NDA has said that they were fighting the election under the leadership of Kumar only, and many from the party hinted that he would be the CM face. The official statement, however, said that the CM would be decided after the election.

Will unemployment and women be silent deciders?

With caste, development, education, and basic facilities being at the core - two factors will heavily decide who comes to power next in India's one of the most politically important states: Unemployment and women voters.

Unemployment has long been in the manifestos of every political party running to get power in Bihar. Every year, a great chunk of Bihar residents migrate and settle in bigger cities or states to get better employment opportunities. Hence, creating employment sources within the state has become a need of the hour. Tejashwi Yadav's RJD has made quite a bold promise in this area. The son of former Bihar CM Lalu Yadav has promised he would provide 10 lakh government jobs to Biharis. As bold as it sounds, the promise is nearly impossible to fulfil.

But promises are made, and it would be interesting to see if Bihar's youth get fascinated by the idea or dodge the chance to choose Tejashwi Yadav as their CM.

Another essential factor is the section of women voters. This area has been a stronghold of the current Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. Women are often considered "silent voters", as per the Election Commission of India. Ultimately, what makes the difference in the results is the candidate women vote for the most. And Kumar has been quite popular among women voters. This time also, Nitish’s manifesto, proposed by the NDA, primarily focuses on women's welfare schemes.

Last time, since the population of women is much higher than men in Bihar, Nitish appeased women voters by imposing a ban on liquor. The ban made the daily life of women, who used to go through miserable conditions due to addicted husbands, much easier.

List of poll promises by the three major parties

Nitish Kumar: Welfare expansion

Nitish Kumar, the veteran leader, is heavily banking on his welfare politics this time, which he has tried and tested multiple times before as well. Kumar has assured that he would improve the protection for marginalised communities, women, and jobless youth.

In July this year, Kumar increased the pensions of widows, the elderly, and the disabled to ₹1,100 a month. Kumar has promised to give women entrepreneurs an initial amount of ₹10,000 and later ₹2 lakh in the second phase. This will be done under Mukhayamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojna.

Tejashwi Yadava: Employment

RJD's Tejashwi Yadav has promised employment to the voters. He has announced that his government would enact a "Special Employment Act" just in 20 days after taking office. Under this, one government job will be given to each family in Bihar within 20 months.

Prashant Kishor: No alcohol ban

Prashant Kishor made a huge poll promise to revoke the alcohol ban in the dry state. Kishor's party announced that if it comes to power, it will lift the ban, which, Kishor claimed, could unlock substantial financial resources for the state. The party claimed that due to the liquor ban in Bihar, the state lost nearly ₹28,000 crore. Kishor's party said the money could be used to secure loans worth ₹5–6 lakh crore from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Making the bold promise, Kishor said he will revoke the liquor ban within an hour if his party forms the next government in Bihar.

Hence, as political strategists say, women’s votes will likely be more issue-driven than loyalty-driven. Meanwhile, the youth’s growing impatience may push the discourse toward accountability and measurable results.