Nitish Kumar Set For 10th Term As Bihar CM After NDA’s Landslide Victory

Patna: At 74, JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar, who is already credited with serving Bihar for the longest period as chief minister, is apparently all set to be sworn in as CM for the 10th time after the NDA registered a landslide victory in the Bihar assembly elections, of which results were announced on Friday.

Although Nitish made a slew of announcements including enhancing social security pensions by Rs 700 and free electricity up to 125 units, his Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, proved to be the masterstroke as under the scheme Rs 10,000 crore has been transferred to accounts of 1.25 crore women.

The heavy turnout of women voters had already hinted at NDA getting overwhelming support from them as now the election results also vindicated the fact. Female voters exercised their franchise more than the male voters by 8.8 percent.

Unlike in the 2010 state assembly election when there was a pro-incumbency factor working in favour of Nitish in view of his various development initiatives and improvement in law and order situation, there was an overwhelming support from various sections of the society despite being in power for the past 20 years. With Chirag Paswan-led LJP and Upendra Kushwaha-led RLM in the NDA, Nitish riding high on his own popularity propelled NDA to a landslide victory this election, the best after the alliance`s overwhelming victory in the 2010 assembly election when the alliance got 206 seats.

Responding to NDA`s impressive victory, former professor and dean, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Pushpendra Kumar Singh, said, “First, one-time direct transfers of Rs 10,000 into the accounts of women voters, belonging to more than 50 percent of households. Second, there was a substantial increase in pensions and honorariums, as well as new stipends, reaching out to nearly 50 lakh women and men. Both happened just on the eve of the elections. And third, more women voted in the elections, both in terms of percentage and in absolute numbers.”

NDA`s special focus on getting social arithmetic right and also highlighting the development initiatives, particularly the social welfare schemes, worked greatly in favour of the alliance, remarked a political analyst Indrajit Singh.

Nitish baiters even claimed that JD (U) would finally merge with BJP or some claimed that Nitish should pass on the political baton to his son Nishant Kumar due to his "falling health", but Nitish proved everybody wrong.