India’s most impoverished state, Bihar, is holding elections today, with money emerging as the predominant concern for many of its 130 million residents. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aiming to leverage this issue by offering economic incentives to attract voters and secure complete control. Winning in Bihar is seen as a strategic move that could boost the BJP’s chances in upcoming elections in other crucial states next year.
Bihar, which is predominantly Hindu and the country’s third most populous state, serves as a crucial battleground similar in size to Mexico. It is the sole state in the Hindi-speaking northern region where Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has never held sole governance. For Rajkumari Devi, a homemaker with three children, the survival of her family hinges on the daily earnings of her husband, who works as a laborer in Muzaffarpur district, bringing home 400 to 500 rupees on days when work is available. Lamenting the lack of stability, the 28-year-old expressed her concerns outside their modest one-room dwelling overlooking farmland.