The Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly announced that within 20 months, no family in Bihar will be left without a government job
NEW DELHI: As the NDA and the opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc continue intense seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday pledged that if the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, led by his party, comes to power, it would enact a law to ensure every family in the state has one government job.
The promise, seen as an effort to counter the NDA’s recent welfare announcements, was accompanied by a timeline, the Act would be introduced within 20 days of forming the new government.
Accusing the ruling alliance of failing to address unemployment, the former Deputy Chief Minister said, “The NDA could not provide jobs to the youth in the last 20 years. We will bring the Act within 20 days of coming to power, and implementation will be ensured within 20 months.”
Recalling his earlier record, Yadav said, “I had promised government jobs in the last Assembly polls too. During my brief tenure in power, five lakh jobs were provided. Imagine what we could have done in five years.”
In the 2020 Assembly polls, Yadav’s promise of 10 lakh jobs had reshaped the election narrative. The RJD-JD(U)-led Mahagathbandhan secured 110 seats, just 12 short of a majority, with the RJD emerging as the single largest party with 75 seats. Analysts believe his latest job guarantee is designed to neutralise the NDA’s freebies ahead of the 2025 elections.
The Nitish Kumar-led government has recently transferred ₹10,000 each to over 1.21 crore women under a DBT scheme and announced increased pensions, higher honorariums for ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and 125 free electricity units per household.
Meanwhile, the Jan Suraaj Party released its first list of 51 candidates for the polls but did not confirm whether its founder Prashant Kishor will contest.
Party president Udai Singh said Kishor will launch the campaign from Raghopur, the constituency of Tejashwi Yadav, on October 11. “If Kishor Ji’s name appears in the next list, it means he will contest,” he said.
Prominent names in the list include Bhojpuri singer Ritesh Ranjan Pandey (Kargahar), third-gender candidate Pritti Kinnar (Bhorey, Gopalganj), mathematician and academic KC Sinha (Kumhrar), retired IPS officer RK Mishra (Darbhanga), and senior advocate YV Giri (Manjhi), among others.
