PATNA: India's poorest state, Bihar, goes to the polls on Thursday, and for many of its 130 million people, one issue overshadows all others: money.
That's what Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to capitalize on, wooing voters with economic incentives in a bid to win full control.
A win here, strategists say, could "energize" the BJP's prospects in other key states heading into next year's elections.
Bellwether battleground
Hindu-majority Bihar, the country's third-most-populous state -- roughly the size of Mexico -- is a bellwether battleground.
It remains the only state in the Hindi-speaking north where Modi's Hindu nationalist party has never ruled alone.
For housewife Rajkumari Devi, feeding her three children depends on the daily wage her husband earns as a laborer in the Muzaffarpur district.
He takes home about 400 to 500 rupees (about $5) on the days he finds work.
‘Unemployment everywhere’
"There is no stability," said the 28-year-old, outside her modest one-room home overlooking agricultural land.
"There have been times when he has not had work for days -- so we stretch the little money we have," she added. "There is unemployment everywhere."
Bihar ranks worst in India on poverty indicators, according to the government's NITI Aayog policy think tank, with a GDP per capita of 52,379 rupees, just ahead of the Central African Republic.
Cash promises
In September, Modi announced investment projects worth $8 billion, including rail and road upgrades, new agricultural schemes, and an airport terminal.
He also unveiled an $844 million initiative to support women entrepreneurs, offering 7.5 million women cash transfers of 10,000 rupees each.
The BJP, allied with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), faces a stiff challenge from the opposition.
At a rally in the state capital Patna on Sunday, Modi urged voters to "bless the NDA."
Election in two phases
A BJP victory in Bihar could, analysts say, boost its momentum in opposition-held states, such as neighboring West Bengal, as well as Tamil Nadu in the south.
"This is the election which will decide whether the BJP can form a government on its own," said Pushpendra, a political analyst who uses only one name.
A BJP win could "energize" the party elsewhere, he said.
The election will be held in two phases, on Nov. 6 and 11. Results are due on Nov. 14.
