The political landscape of Bihar is heating up as the state heads toward the assembly elections. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav recently promised 200 units of free electricity to the people of Bihar, a move reminiscent of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's strategy. During his 'Aabhar Yatra,' Yadav claimed that people across Bihar are suffering from high electricity bills, especially under the pre-paid meter system.
In response, Janata Dal (United) [JDU] leader Neeraj Kumar criticized Yadav's promise, stating that Bihar has moved beyond the "lantern era" and is setting new standards in development. Kumar dismissed the promise as empty and urged the public to recognize the progress made under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership. He also emphasized that during the RJD’s 15-year rule, only 33,000 government jobs were created, and many lands were seized.
The debate over electricity meters continued as Yadav criticized the smart pre-paid meters, while Neeraj Kumar praised them, highlighting Bihar's pioneering role in adopting this technology. He added that states like Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat have sent teams to study this innovation. Kumar also mentioned that Bihar's government has provided a subsidy of over ₹15,000 crores to the power sector, a far cry from the past, and has worked to make power accessible to farmers.
As election promises are rolled out, the debate over Bihar’s electricity policies reflects a deeper political contest, with both sides pushing their visions for the state's development. The outcome remains to be seen as Bihar's voters weigh the claims.
