More 'businesspersons' in Bihar Assembly than before, shows data

PRS data shows rise in legislators from business backgrounds, higher degrees and older age groups, while women's representation remains weak

Nitish Kumar, JDU, Bihar election — More MLAs-elect have post-graduate qualifications in 2025 than in 2020; however, 40 per cent of MLAs-elect are without college degrees.

2 min read Last Updated : Nov 18 2025 | 12:24 AM IST

The newly elected 18th Bihar Assembly will have more legislators identifying as “businesspersons”, as compared to previous terms — a trend consistent with what has been observed across states in recent years, including those that are less urbanised and industrialised.

According to a PRS Legislative Research analysis released on Monday, 31 per cent of the winning candidates in 2025 have identified their professions as ‘businessperson’ compared to 28 per cent in 2020 (17th Assembly) and 26 per cent in 2015 (16th Assembly).

Additionally, Assemblies now have higher levels of educational attainment and higher average age of members, but progress on gender representation remains dismal. In the new Bihar Assembly, the number of those with postgraduate or higher qualifications has increased to 28 per cent, from 23 per cent in the previous term.

In the new Assembly, the number of women MLAs-elect is 29, or 12 per cent of the total strength. This is marginally higher than the 26 women who won in 2020. Of these 29, 13 are 25-39 years old, and nine are 40-54 years old. Further, 15 women MLAs-elect, or a little more than half, do not have college degrees. Out of the 250 MLAs who were part of the previous Assembly (including those who won by-elections), 192 had contested this time. Of these, 111 won (58 per cent). A total of 68 MLAs and MLCs (members of legislative councils) had served as ministers during the 17th Assembly. Out of them, 49 (47 MLAs and 2 MLCs) contested in the 2025 polls, with 39 emerging as winners.

In the 18th Assembly, the proportion of older MLAs-elect has increased: 46 per cent of MLAs are aged 55 years or above this time, as compared to 40 per cent in 2020 and 34 per cent in 2015.

More MLAs-elect have post-graduate qualifications in 2025 than in 2020; however, 40 per cent of MLAs-elect are without college degrees.