Sops galore by Nitish Kumar ahead of Bihar elections

Bihar CM rolls out massive benefits weeks before October Assembly elections.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

In an indication of the level of anti-incumbency, voter fatigue, and what many see as a calibrated pre-poll inducement strategy, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has in recent weeks unveiled a sweeping set of financial measures targeting a broad array of constituencies—from rural healthcare workers and school staff to pensioners, artists, journalists, sanitation workers, self-help group functionaries, and domestic electricity consumers.

All of these announcements have come within a compressed timeline of less than three months before the state heads to assembly elections in October. While the National Democratic Alliance is set to fight the polls with Nitish Kumar as its lead face, party insiders and opposition leaders alike expect a transition in leadership if the NDA secures a majority.

Kumar, who has held office since November 2005—except for a 270-day period in 2014-15 when his party colleague Jitan Ram Manjhi was briefly installed as Chief Minister—has described the recent welfare rollout as part of his government's long-term governance agenda.