Nitish Kumar’s pre-poll doles woo Bihar voters

WITH Bihar headed for Assembly elections later this year, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has unleashed a series of welfare announcements —each conveniently timed and politically loaded. From hiking pensions for the elderly, disabled and widowed women to Rs 1,100 per month, to announcing a 35 per cent reservation in direct recruitment for native women of Bihar, the moves are being touted by his administration as progressive governance. But the timing makes the intent unmistakably electoral.

The decision to limit the 35 per cent reservation to only permanent government jobs, excluding contractual roles, is significant, even though such positions have been shrinking steadily. While the move may please some sections of the electorate, especially women, its actual impact remains questionable unless the government also expands the number of available permanent jobs. Similarly, the pension hike — raised from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 — has been presented as a generous social support initiative. However, it mirrors proposals earlier floated by Opposition parties, suggesting that Nitish is attempting to undercut their welfare plank. The simultaneous announcement of a Bihar Youth Commission to address rising unemployment among the state’s massive young population is yet another sop that raises eyebrows. Will it merely be a paper body or have real teeth and funding?

What cannot be ignored is that these moves come amid a spate of violent crimes across the state, including high-profile murders, which threaten to undo the image of Nitish as the custodian of sushasan (good governance). Development has to be seen and experienced. Ultimately, these last-minute populist decisions do little to mask the state’s deeper systemic issues. Bihar’s voters will weigh these announcements against delivery, transparency and the lived reality. And Nitish Kumar, a veteran of many political pivots, might find that symbolic gestures are no substitute for sustainable progress.

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