Fewest sessions, fastest Bills passed: How outgoing Bihar assembly fared - details here

Voting to elect the 18th Bihar Legislative Assembly will be held on November 6 and 11, 2025. The results will be announced on November 14, 2025.

The term of the incumbent 17th Bihar Assembly will be over on November 22.

The two-phase voting will decide the fate of the ruling National Democratic Alliance government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, which is being challenged by the INDIA bloc comprising the RJD, Congress, and other parties.

The first phase will see polling in 121 Assembly constituencies in central Bihar on 6 November. The second phase will cover 122 seats, in the north, east and south on 11 November, as per the election schedule.

Non-profit PRS Legislative Research analysed the functioning of the Bihar Assembly between November 2020 and July 2025. This is what it found:

Met for an average of 29 days a year

-Between 2020 and 2025, the Assembly met for a total of 146 days, which is the lowest of all its five-year terms. It met for an average of 29 days a year.

- On the days the House met, it functioned for an average of three hours. In 2024, Assemblies across all states had met for an average of five hours on sitting days

-The 17th Assembly passed 78 Bills. All these Bills were passed on the same day of their introduction. None of the Bills were referred to Committees for further deliberation.

-Of the Bills passed during this Assembly, the majority related to education, finance, taxation, and administration.

Some of these Bills include:

(i) The Bihar Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024,

(ii) The Bihar Control of Crimes Bill, 2024, and

(iii) The Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Safety and Welfare) Bill, 2025.

Increase reservations in government jobs

-In 2023, the Assembly also passed two Bills to increase reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. These were struck down by the Patna High Court in June 2024.

-Seven Ordinances were promulgated between 2021 and 2025. Ordinances are temporary laws brought in while the Assembly is not in session. They lapse in six weeks from the beginning of the subsequent session, unless being replaced by an Act.

-All Ordinances issued during this term were replaced by Acts.

-The number of Ordinances issued in Bihar has gone down over the years. For example, a total of 144 Ordinances were issued between 1990 and 1994.

- Other than the general discussion on the annual budget, legislatures also discuss expenditures of major Ministries. Over the past five years, the Assembly has discussed these Ministry expenditures for an average of nine days.