The elections for the Bihar Legislative Assembly will determine who governs Bihar for the next five years. The state is India’s poorest. But its 130 million people – more than any European nation – give Bihar hefty political clout.
Primarily an agrarian state, Bihar is suffering from a struggling economy and has the highest poverty rate in India, according to a report published by the Indian government think tank NITI Aayog last year. Both major blocs – the BJP-JD(U) alliance and the RJD-Congress coalition – have pledged to create jobs to help the state’s economy.
The two alliances are also making appeals to women, who constitute nearly half of the eligible voters in Bihar. The state has seen a steady rise in women’s political participation with female voter turnout often exceeding that of men.
