A Festival of Democracy: The November 2025 Assembly Elections in Bihar
When the people of Bihar cast their votes in early November 2025, they will participate in what might aptly be called a festival of democracy —one of the largest and most politically significant elections in India in recent times. The stakes are high: the results will shape not only who governs the state of Bihar, but also send ripples across national politics. In this blog I will explore the background, stakes, key players, electoral machinery, issues at the fore, and what to watch for as the state heads to polls on 6 and 11 November and counting on 14 November . 1. Why this election matters Bihar is India’s third-most populous state, and its politics is often viewed as a micro-cosm of the larger shifts in Indian democracy — caste dynamics, regional versus national parties, migration, and development. The 2025 assembly election (for all 243 seats) carries particular import for several reasons: Assembly term ending : The term of the current Legislative Assembly ends on 22 Nove...