As Bihar heads toward a crucial Assembly election, one glaring fact stands out — the lowest number of women candidates in 15 years. Out of 2,615 contestants this year, only 258 are women, compared to 2,357 men.
While women are being hailed as decisive voters, political parties seem to have overlooked them when it comes to giving tickets. This paradox — wooing women voters but ignoring women leaders — has sparked debate across the state.
Women Voters: The Key to Bihar’s Electoral Equation
With 15 days left for polling, political parties are heavily campaigning to attract women voters, who form nearly 48% of Bihar’s electorate. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), in particular, is making women-centric promises a cornerstone of its campaign.
The Bihar government recently transferred ₹10,000 each to 1.25 crore women under the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme, strengthening its welfare narrative.
Over the past few years, women in Bihar have been given:
- 35% reservation in police recruitment
- 50% reservation in panchayats and local bodies
- Low-interest loans for Jeevika Didis
- Increased allowances for ASHA and Mamata workers
- Employment priority in rural welfare schemes
These initiatives have helped consolidate a strong women voter base for the NDA, but ticket distribution tells a different story.
What the Opposition Promises
The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD and Congress, is countering the NDA’s welfare plank with promises of economic empowerment.
Their manifesto, Tejashwi Pran, includes the “Mai-Bahin Maan Yojana”, which assures ₹2,500 per month for every woman for five years, starting December 2025.
Other key pledges include:
- Regularising contractual and outsourced women employees.
- Making Jeevika Didis permanent government staff with a monthly salary of ₹30,000.
- Creating 1 crore new government jobs, prioritising women.
However, despite such ambitious promises, the alliance too has fielded only a limited number of female candidates, exposing a gap between policy rhetoric and political reality.
Women Candidates: The Party-Wise Breakdown
| Party | Women Candidates | Male Candidates | Notable Trend |
| BJP | 13 | 225+ | Stable participation, 69% success rate in 2020 |
| JD(U) | 13 | 200+ | Sharp decline from 22 in 2020 |
| RJD | 23 | 220+ | Steady rise since 2015 |
| Congress | 5 | 200+ | Declining representation |
| Jan Suraaj (Prashant Kishor) | 25 | 150+ | Strong debut with focus on inclusivity |
| BSP | 26 | 180+ | Highest number of women fielded |
| CPI-ML | 8 | 90+ | Decline since 2015 peak |
In the 2020 Assembly elections, 26 women MLAs were elected out of 370 female candidates — a 7% success rate compared to 10% for men.
This year, with only 258 women contesting, experts predict that female representation in the Assembly may drop further.
Why Are Parties Hesitant to Field Women?
When questioned about the lack of women candidates, party leaders often cite a familiar excuse — “winnability.”
Political insiders argue that many constituencies are “difficult to win” and that parties prefer to field candidates with prior electoral experience or strong caste support bases — areas where women are still underrepresented.
However, analysts point out that this mindset ignores the changing political landscape. Women voters have increasingly become issue-driven and independent, influencing outcomes across rural and urban Bihar.
The Trend Over the Years
A look at the last three Assembly elections reveals a steady decline in women’s participation:
- 2010: 368 women contested
- 2015: 343 women contested
- 2020: 370 women contested
- 2025: Only 258 women contesting
While parties publicly celebrate women’s empowerment, the actual ticket distribution tells a different story — tokenism over transformation.
Interestingly, RJD has shown gradual improvement, increasing its women candidates from 9 in 2015 to 23 in 2025, while JD(U) — once seen as a progressive force under Nitish Kumar — has seen its women representation drop significantly this year.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has emerged as a new player prioritising women, fielding 25 female candidates — the highest among all parties.
Success Rate in Previous Elections
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections:
- BJP women candidates had a 69% success rate (9 out of 13 won).
- RJD women had 44% success.
- Congress women candidates had 29% success.
- JD(U) women candidates won 27% of their contests.
Despite such strong performances, the overall participation of women continues to decline, proving that merit is not the issue — opportunity is.
The Paradox of Representation
While Bihar has seen a rise in women’s visibility at the panchayat and local governance levels (thanks to 50% reservation), the state’s Assembly representation has not kept pace.
This exposes a deeper contradiction in Indian politics — parties celebrate women as voters, but not as leaders.
Campaigns are filled with slogans about women’s empowerment, yet the number of tickets given to women is shrinking year after year.
Why It Matters
Women make up nearly half of Bihar’s population and play an active role in rural development, education, and social welfare programs. Their absence in legislative spaces means that crucial issues — healthcare, safety, wages, and education — often get sidelined in policymaking.
Greater representation is not merely symbolic; it’s essential for:
- Gender-balanced decision-making
- Diverse perspectives in governance
- Better implementation of welfare policies
The Way Forward
- Political parties must set internal quotas for women candidates.
- Leadership training should be given to grassroots women leaders (especially Jeevika Didis).
- Media and civil society must hold parties accountable for representation promises.
- Voters should question parties that speak of empowerment but practice exclusion.
Conclusion
The Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 reflect a concerning reality — while women are at the heart of political discourse, they remain on the margins of political power.
With only 258 women candidates, this election marks the lowest female participation in 15 years.
It’s a reminder that empowerment cannot stop at welfare schemes or campaign slogans — it must translate into real political representation and leadership opportunities.
Bihar’s women have shown they can lead families, businesses, and communities. It’s time political parties showed the same faith in them at the ballot box.
In short:
Bihar’s 2025 elections have exposed the gap between women’s empowerment as a vote bank and empowerment as representation. True progress will come only when women aren’t just voters in queues, but leaders on ballots.
