Ahead of Bihar’s impending assembly elections, leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) convened in New Delhi this week to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lauding the central government’s “unprecedented” budgetary allocations for the state. The meeting, shrouded in strategic significance, underscored the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition’s push to position itself as Bihar’s chief architect of development, leveraging financial pledges to sway voter sentiment in a state long plagued by infrastructural gaps and economic stagnation.
According to official documents, Bihar has been earmarked ₹1.25 lakh crore ($15 billion) in the Union Budget 2024–25, a 12% increase from the previous fiscal year. Key sectors prioritized include road infrastructure (₹18,000 crore), agriculture (₹9,500 crore), healthcare (₹6,200 crore), and education (₹5,800 crore). Notably, the budget reaffirms commitments to long-pending projects such as the Patna Metro Rail, the expansion of the Digha-Sonpur rail-cum-road bridge, and the Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which provides free food grains to 8.3 million impoverished families. NDA representatives, including Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Union Minister Giriraj Singh, hailed these allocations as “game-changers” that would “accelerate Bihar’s journey from poverty to prosperity.”
The timing of this meeting is no coincidence. With Bihar’s 243-seat assembly elections slated for late 2024, the NDA is acutely aware of the state’s electoral weight. Bihar, home to over 120 million people, has been a bellwether of Indian politics, with its mix of caste dynamics and developmental aspirations often dictating national trends. The BJP, in particular, seeks to consolidate its gains from the 2020 elections, where it emerged as the single largest party but ceded the chief ministerial post to ally Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)]. However, recent tensions between the BJP and JD(U) over seat-sharing agreements have fueled speculation that the NDA’s budgetary blitz is as much about soothing allies as it is about countering the Opposition’s Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), which has criticized the central government for “neglecting Bihar’s unique challenges.”
During the 90-minute meeting, PM Modi reportedly emphasized “cooperative federalism,” assuring NDA leaders that Bihar’s development remained “central to India’s growth story.” This rhetoric aligns with the BJP’s broader narrative of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) by 2047, wherein states like Bihar play a pivotal role. Leaders present at the meeting later told journalists that the Prime Minister had “personally reviewed” projects such as the ambitious Ganga Expressway and the modernization of Bihar’s crumbling drainage systems, a persistent pain point during monsoon floods.
Yet, beyond the political theatrics, ground realities paint a complex picture. While Bihar’s GDP growth rate has inched upward to 7.5% in 2023–24, it remains below the national average of 8.4%. The state ranks lowest in India in per capita income (₹54,383 annually) and suffers from a 10.4% unemployment rate, nearly double the national figure. Critics argue that Bihar’s reliance on central funds—82% of its revenue comes from Union allocations—reflects systemic failures in successive state governments to boost entrepreneurship or attract private investment. Economist Dr. Ashok Gupta, a professor at Patna University, notes, “Budget hikes are welcome, but without robust governance mechanisms, Bihar risks perpetuating a cycle of dependency. The focus must shift to job creation and skill development.”
The NDA, however, is betting on visible, large-scale projects to counter such skepticism. The Patna Metro, set for partial operationalization by 2026, promises to decongest a city where traffic snarls cost an estimated ₹1,200 crore annually in lost productivity. Similarly, the agriculture sector—which employs 76% of Bihar’s workforce—is set to receive a boost through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, offering ₹6,000 yearly to small farmers. JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad remarked, “This budget isn’t just numbers; it’s a lifeline for farmers, students, and laborers who’ve endured decades of neglect.”
Opposition leaders, meanwhile, have dismissed the NDA’s optimism as “election gimmickry.” Tejashwi Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, accused the BJP of “recycling old announcements” and questioned the delay in implementing flood-relief packages for north Bihar, a region perennially ravaged by Kosi River breaches. “Modi ji speaks of cooperative federalism, but where was this cooperation when our pleas for disaster management funds were ignored?” Yadav asked at a rally in Muzaffarpur. The Congress party, too, has joined the fray, with state president Akhilesh Prasad Singh alleging that the NDA’s “so-called development model” disproportionately benefits urban centers at the expense of rural Bihar.
Analysts suggest that the NDA’s budgetary focus on infrastructure and social welfare could resonate with key voter blocs. For instance, the expansion of Ayushman Bharat health coverage to include tuberculosis and malaria treatments targets Bihar’s poor, who constitute 33.7% of the population. Women voters, a demographic increasingly influential in Bihar’s elections, may be swayed by the ₹12,000 crore allocation to the Saubhagya Yojana, ensuring electricity access to 2.1 million households, many headed by women. Political strategist Priyanka Mehra observed, “Modi’s emphasis on ‘Nari Shakti’ (women power) and farmer welfare isn’t just policy—it’s a calculated outreach to segments that have traditionally leaned toward regional parties.”
Nevertheless, challenges loom. Bihar’s bureaucratic inefficiencies and corruption scandals—such as the 2022 fodder scam revival involving embezzlement of ₹1,000 crore—threaten to derail even well-funded initiatives. Moreover, the NDA’s unity faces strain, as JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, a past master of political realignments, has kept allies guessing about his long-term commitments. While Kumar publicly praised the budget as “a testament to PM Modi’s vision,” insiders reveal murmurs of discontent over the BJP’s dominance in decision-making.
As Bihar inches closer to elections, the NDA’s budgetary blitz may prove a double-edged sword. While it offers a tangible agenda to campaign on, the coalition must navigate voter skepticism, internal rivalries, and the Opposition’s relentless counter-narratives. For now, though, the message from New Delhi is clear: Bihar’s development is non-negotiable, and the NDA intends to bankroll it—one rupee at a time.
