Bihar Election 2025: Will infrastructure push in the state overcome its execution and quality challenges?

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As Bihar heads into a high-stakes assembly election, the state’s infrastructure has become a defining political battleground. From freshly inaugurated expressways and rail corridors to recurring bridge collapses and patchy urban amenities, Bihar's development story remains a mix of progress and persistent gaps.

The state will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.

The ruling NDA and the opposition Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc) — have unveiled expansive manifestos centred around development, jobs, and welfare. The NDA has promised to create 1 crore jobs through skill hubs and industrial expansion, launch seven new expressways, modernise rail and airport infrastructure, and invest Rs 1 lakh crore in agriculture and allied sectors.

On November 4, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari promised major upgrades to Bihar’s road infrastructure, saying that the state’s national highways will soon be built to world-class standards, on par with America's.

The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD and Congress, has focused on direct welfare guarantees apart from promises such as building new expressways, IT parks, special economic zones (SEZ), and education-cities.

In the two decades, especially the last five years, Bihar has witnessed an acceleration in infrastructure development, with several big-ticket projects reshaping the state’s connectivity landscape.

"Given where we were and given the resources the state had, Bihar has made significant strides in infrastructure. All major cities are connected now and it is easier to drive because of the upgrades in road infrastructure," said Tripurari Sharan, former chief secretary of Bihar.

The Kacchi Dargah–Bidupur bridge, a 9.76 km stretch across the Ganga and one of India's longest river bridges, saw its first phase opened in June 2025, with a total estimated cost of at least Rs 4,000 crore. It is a six-lane greenfield bridge project spanning the Ganga River, connecting Kacchi Dargah near Patna to Bidupur in Vaishali district of Bihar.

Another key project completed is the Aunta–Simaria six-lane bridge, also known as the Barauni–Mokama Ganga bridge. Built at a cost of around Rs 1,870 crore and inaugurated in August this year, the bridge connects key industrial corridors across north and south Bihar, cutting travel time between Begusarai and Patna by over two hours.

Kumod Kumar, Chair, PHDCCI Bihar State Chapter said Bihar has the third highest road density in the country. "Currently, Bihar has 6130 km of national highways at a density of 5.4km per lakh population. It is a 400 million people market with easy access to Nepal, Bhutan and other Southeast Asian markets and domestic states such as UP, West Bengal and Jharkhand. So, the state has tremendous scope,” he said.

The railways sector, too, has seen record investment and plans are afoot to expand the state’s airport network. Besides, recently a new terminal was opened at the Jayprakash Narayan International Airport (Patna) with a capacity to handle 10 million passengers annually.

"Strengthening project monitoring, and enhancing accountability mechanisms can help to ensure that the pace of infrastructure growth translates into sustainable and durable outcomes for the state. Improved connectivity through infrastructure development has helped the state achieve higher economic growth and development," Kumar said.

The NDA government, if it comes to power, has promised to build seven major expressways across Bihar. For example, in March this year, the Union Cabinet approved the Patna–Arrah–Sasaram corridor (NH-119A) that will link Patna, Arrah (in Bhojpur district) and Sasaram (in Rohtas district) that will reduce travel time along the congested existing state highways.

Despite such promises, Sharan said execution bottlenecks and poor-quality control will be the biggest challenge. "There has been development, but I must say Bihar has missed the bus on several aspects. We did not focus on educational institutions such as engineering colleges enough," he said.

"When it comes to tangible infrastructure, there has also been a lack of foresight in Bihar. For example, the plan to expand the Patna airport was finalised during my time, but it didn’t take off for years. Only this year, did it finally happen," Sharan said.

The NDA government has also promised to establish or upgrade four airports (in Patna, Darbhanga, Purnia and Bhagalpur) to international standards, along with expanding air services to additional cities.

According to analysts, large projects such as the Kacchi Dargah–Bidupur bridge, portions of which collapsed during construction earlier this year, and delays in the Ganga Pathway extension highlight persistent gaps in design monitoring and contractor accountability.

"Project execution has to be a priority for the upcoming government to script a new developmental history in Bihar. Issues in road and rural connectivity projects, where frequent cost escalations, tender delays and sub-standard materials have led to structural failures or missed deadlines need to be fixed," said an analyst working in a leading consulting firm.