Bihar Polls 2025: Nitish’s Niti Shields Him from Incumbency Storm
Hoarding in Bihar about women centric schemes! (Image TRH)
With direct benefit transfers, education schemes, and women-focused policies, Nitish Kumar banks on his two-decade-old “women’s constituency” to weather anti-incumbency in Bihar’s 2025 polls.
By MANISH ANAND
NAUGACHIA (BHAGALPUR), September 6, 2025 — Ritu Kumari is eagerly waiting for a notification on her mobile phone. A graduate in Hindi Honours, she is set to receive ₹50,000 in her bank account.
“I will use the money for teachers’ examinations. I want to become a teacher,” said Kumari. Once credited, she will be among thousands of girls benefiting from a scheme run by incumbent Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kumari had earlier received monetary assistance when she passed her intermediate examinations.
Across several Bihar cities, one sees streams of girl students heading to colleges and coaching centres. Many from villages rent small rooms in towns to pursue higher studies or prepare for competitive exams.
“Girls stand a better chance of bagging jobs in Bihar than boys. Vacancies for teachers and police in recent years have boosted their confidence to become aspirational,” said Mithilesh Prasad.
In the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections, the Chief Minister has been announcing a slew of schemes, many of them women-centric. The most recent Cabinet decision promises women financial support of up to ₹2 lakh to start businesses, with the first instalment of ₹10,000.
Supporters of Kumar claim he is the original architect of women-centric direct benefit transfers in India. From gifting bicycles to schoolgirls to cash support for higher education, his schemes have consistently targeted women’s welfare.
To ensure awareness, the government has rolled out a programme under the Ministry of Rural Development. “We take vans to remote areas to inform women about the schemes. Trained personnel also address their doubts. The programme has been running for months, and we are seeing strong participation,” said an official in Naugachia.
While the Opposition claims law and order have collapsed under Kumar, Bihar’s cities tell another story: girls and women travel independently, and banks and shops employ women in large numbers.
“Girls in Bihar are now aspirational. Those from rural areas move to cities for skills and education, while urban girls are venturing outside Bihar to build careers,” said Yogendra Mandal.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan’s face, has launched his own outreach to women, promising ₹3,000 monthly DBT. In recent state polls, such schemes have been decisive—from Haryana to Delhi.
Even as Nitish Kumar shows signs of political fatigue, the women’s constituency he cultivated over two decades may remain the ruling Janata Dal (United)’s strongest electoral insurance.
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