Bihar Election | Young Voters Are As Crucial As Caste, Women And Alliance Factors

With the Bihar election inching closer, the spotlight is on three key factors—caste equations, alliance chemistry and women’s vote. The past elections have proved that these three factors have been crucial to the eventual outcome. However, in these elections, another issue is gaining ascendancy—the role of the state’s young voters.

While announcing the schedule for the Assembly polls, the Election Commission said the state has 14.01 lakh first-time voters aged 18 to 19 years—up from 11.17 lakh in 2020, but below the 24.13 lakh registered in 2015. On average, each of Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies has 5,765 first-time voters this year. In addition, those between 18 and 29 constitute 24 per cent of Bihar’s total voters.

The way the three major players in the state—the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mahagathbandhan and Jan Suraaj Party—have been focusing on the youth vote is indicative of their capacity to tilt seats.

As Bihar moves toward the first phase of Assembly elections on November 6, when voters on 212 of the 243 constituencies will cast their ballots, no strong anti-incumbency wave appears visible against chief minister Nitish Kumar. Despite migration for jobs, inadequacy of civic infrastructure, weak healthcare, inadequate public transport and other issues, a large number of voters seem willing to give Nitish another chance. What may, however, throw a surprise is the youth factor. Nitish has been chief minister for a little less than two decades—save for the nine months between May 2014 and February 2015. Those aged 18-29 were either born after he became the chief minister or were socialised during this time. They have seen the government perform and when they go to vote this time, they will have formed an informed opinion about whether to give the NDA another chance or go with the other available options.

The ruling NDA is banking on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has so far addressed four rallies in Bihar. While promising to industrialise Bihar, increase employment opportunities and prioritise law and order, he has also mentioned the youth factor in all his rallies.

For instance, while addressing a rally in Samastipur on October 24, he made a comment on the ongoing social media trend of reels. He called it an achievement of his government. It was only during the NDA government’s tenure that the internet became accessible to the youth. Currently, 1 GB of data costs less than a cup of tea. This is why young people are earning a good income by displaying their creativity on the internet, he said, amid cheers. On October 30, while addressing twin rallies in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra, he said fulfilling the dreams of Bihar’s youth was the Sankalp (resolve) of both “Narendra and Nitish.” In its manifesto—Sankalp Patra—the NDA has promised jobs to one crore youth.

The Mahagathbandhan was quick to counter. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the “Modi-Nitish” government has strangled the aspirations of the youth in Bihar, left the state abandoned and pushed it into an abyss on every development parameter. Gandhi asserted that now is the time for change and to reaffirm the Mahagathbandhan's resolve for justice. He made the remarks in a post on X, accompanied by a video of his interaction with Bihar's youth recently. “A few days ago, I had a very interesting conversation with the youth of Bihar on education, health,

employment and other issues. And, there is only one culprit responsible for the deplorable state on all these counts—the BJP-JDU government,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said wrote.

Having declared Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face, the Mahagathbandhan put another stamp on the RJD leader’s primacy to the coalition with the release of an election manifesto tagged ‘Bihar ka Tejashwi Pran (Bihar’s Tejashwi Resolve)’.

Youth, women and jobs are the focus of the 25-point, 32-page Mahagathbandhan manifesto, which talks about employment generation, infrastructure development, education reforms, healthcare expansion, migrant welfare, and corruption-free governance, and promises social justice and equitable development. Accusing JD(U) supremo and ally BJP of “failing Bihar’s youth”, Tejashwi said: “We do not just want to form a government, we want to present a roadmap to make Bihar a developed state.” With thousands of Bihar youths appearing for government recruitment exams, the alliance pledges to abolish examination and form fees for competitive tests and to provide free travel for candidates to and from exam centres. It also promises strict action against paper leaks and examination irregularities.

Prashant Kishor, the man behind some of India’s most memorable political campaigns and known for the iconic 2015 slogan—“Bihar me bahaar hai, Nitish-e Kumar hai,” which helped Nitish make a spectacular comeback in alliance with the RJD and Congress, Kishor is now leading his own

party, Jan Suraj. His goal is to shake up Bihar’s political landscape and challenge both the RJD-led opposition and the ruling NDA.

He has travelled extensively across Bihar, reaching out to voters and shaping a narrative that positions him as a credible alternative to the long-standing political players. Initially, PK focused on RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and the “family-first” culture that has defined his party’s politics. More recently, he has also directed criticism at the NDA.

The core of his message is straightforward: Bihar’s leadership over the last 25 years has failed to address critical issues like employment and infrastructure. This narrative is particularly aimed at young voters frustrated by a lack of opportunities, many of whom are forced to migrate to other states where they face discrimination and limited prospects. PK’s approach combines a fresh, dynamic image, innovative social media strategies, and the advantage of being the first major new entrant.

Unemployment, migration and poverty continue to dominate this election. Despite tall promises and welfare schemes, the outflow of young workers in search of better opportunities shows no signs of slowing.

Migration from Bihar has been a chronic issue for decades, but its scale and persistence remain striking. The 2011 Census recorded 74.54 lakh migrants from Bihar spread across 34 states and Union Territories—second only to Uttar Pradesh. About 30 per cent of them cited employment as the reason for leaving.

The Economic Survey of India (2016–17) found that Bihar had among the highest net outmigration rates in the country, and the number of young people leaving nearly tripled between 1991–2001 and 2001–11. A 2024 study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Institute for Human Development showed that nearly 39 per cent of Bihar’s migrants in 2021 cited employment as the reason for moving out.