The NDA delivered a commanding performance, securing leads in at least 202 seats as the Bihar assembly elections concluded on November 14.
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Ainnie Arif is a journalist covering diplomacy and international affairs with a South Asian lens. She focuses on how global events intersect with regional politics and local impact.
Ran Kaushal Pratap Singh of the Vikassheel Insaan Party tops the list with assets worth over ₹368 crores, followed by Nitish Kumar of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party with ₹250 crores, and JD(U)’s Manorma Devi with ₹75 crores.
The Jan Suraaj Party, with 117 candidates, has again topped the list, with 58 candidates having criminal cases and 51 facing serious criminal charges.
Mukesh Kumar Raushan, a 37-year-old RJD leader and dental surgeon from Vaishali, won the Mahua seat in 2020 and is contesting again in 2025 against Tej Pratap Yadav, who has launched his own party, the Janshakti Janata Dal.
Wealth concentration remains stark: Overall, 40 per cent of the Phase I candidates are crorepatis. While eight per cent of candidates declared assets above Rs 10 crore, 32 percent fall in the Rs 20 lakh–Rs 1 crore bracket. 28 per cent have assets below Rs 20 lakh
The ADR and Bihar Election Watch analysis found 423 candidates with criminal cases, of which 354 face serious charges.
Lalu’s tenure saw both empowerment of marginalised communities through social engineering and the emergence of corruption, criminality and caste violence that came to define Bihar’s “Jungle Raj” era.
Scheduled Castes now form 19.65 per cent of Bihar’s population, up from 16 per cent in 2011, while Scheduled Tribes stand at 1.68 per cent, revealing a demographic shift that has redefined political representation and voter outreach.
Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar built political careers by consolidating OBC support: Lalu as the champion of lower castes and Muslims during the 1990s, and Nitish by advocating for non-Yadav OBCs, forward castes, and development-focused governance.
Delhi’s air quality has worsened sharply this Diwali, with the 24-hour AQI reaching levels not seen since 2021. A mix of firecracker emissions, vehicle pollution, and industrial activity has plunged the capital into hazardous smog
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