New Delhi, Oct. 16 -- For Bihar, India's poorest state by income and third-largest by population, this election campaign has brought a deluge of cash promises. Beyond the now-familiar ritual of pre-election cash transfers to women, political parties have pledged free electricity, unemployment doles for youth, and additional pensions for the elderly. Where the money will come from to fund these initiatives remains unanswered.

Many of these announcements are poll promises: the parties may not win, the winning party may scale them back, or introduce caveats to limit beneficiaries and costs. Yet, the current tally of promises is enormous, especially for a state in urgent need of infrastructure development and job creation.

Bihar assembly el...