Nitish Wraps up ‘Pragati Yatra’ to Fight Off Ghost of 2020 Polls

Bihar CM Concludes Whirlwind Tour to Assert ‘Development’ Plank

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, February 21: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is wrapping up his ‘Pragati Yatra’ on Friday. In his whirlwind tour of Bihar, the Chief Minister asserted his development credentials.

Bihar is heading for Assembly elections in October this year. Kumar leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar. He appears determined to reverse the electoral fortunes of the Janata Dal (United) in the Assembly elections.

The Bihar Chief Minister has been on a blitzkrieg to unveil projects. Kumar while in Nalanda yesterday launched projects worth ₹820 crores. The projects included which have been completed or new initiatives for which he laid the foundation stones in Nalanda.

“Sab kar diya hai… aur bhi karna hai (all works have been completed, and more will be done,” said the Bihar Chief Minister in Nalanda. Kumar has covered almost all the districts in Bihar as part of the ‘Pragati Yatra’.

The Bihar Chief Minister was recently in Kaimur district. He also visited Banka, Munger, Buxar, and other districts. While he was busy in the ‘Pragati Yatra’, Kumar gave a miss to the show of strength of the NDA at the Ram Lila Ground in Delhi for the swearing in ceremony of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

Nitish Kumar Embarks on Image Makeover with Poll in Sight

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lallan Singh represented the JD (U) at the oath-taking ceremony at the Ram Lila Ground yesterday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later presided over a meeting of the NDA-rules states’ Chief Ministers.

“The Bihar Chief Ministers is determined to stop a repeat of the 2020 poll fate for the JD (U). Kumar-led JD (U) saw party tally in Bihar Assembly dropping from 71 seats to 43,” said a senior JD (U) functionary.

In contrast, the NDA ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) enhanced the poll performance in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections. The BJP won additional 21 Assembly seats to win 73 constituencies in the 2020 Bihar state polls.

“The Bihar Chief Minister wants the JD (U) to regain the status of the senior partner in the NDA in the state. He has, therefore, given a number of promises in several of the districts to take up new development projects,” said another senior JD (U) functionary.

Kumar appears mindful that the upcoming Assembly elections may further test his political stock in Bihar. His former electoral advisor Prashant Kishor with fledgling Jan Suraj Party is making attempts to become a new force in Bihar politics.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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