With the Bihar election just a few months away, political parties think they have found a sure shot mantra of winning votes - yatras and lucrative cash transfer schemes aimed at women.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had planned a women-centric tour, the 'Mahila Samvad Yatra', organised by the rural development department of the state government. But his archnemesis and former deputy, RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) leader Tejashwi Yadav, got the better of him. Just a day ahead of Nitish Kumar's proposed yatra (December 15), Tejashwi announced the RJD's cash transfer scheme for women. He promised to give Rs 2,500 to eligible women every month under 'Mai-Bahin Maan Yojana'.
Tejashwi's announcement at a press conference put Nitish Kumar on the back foot and his advisers told him to come up with better welfare schemes to counter RJD's announcement, then launch his yatra.
Other than Tejashwi's cash transfer scheme, Nitish Kumar was also peeved by RJD chief Lalu Yadav's controversial remarks about him. Lalu Yadav accused him of planning the public outreach programme to "ogle at women". Lalu's statement drew sharp criticism from the ruling NDA. So, Nitish Kumar has now rechristened his proposed yatra. It will be called 'Pragati Yatra' and will begin on December 23.
Welcome to Bihar's yatra politics as the election season approaches.
Seeking yatra benefits
Both Janata Dal United (JDU) and its alliance partner BJP are brainstorming to try and upstage RJD.
RJD may have drawn inspiration from the tried and tested playbook of the Congress, BJP, and JMM over the past few elections - yatras and schemes for women voters.
The November elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra saw the incumbent governments win on the basis of welfare schemes for women. Nitish Kumar may want to take notes from the winning 'Maiya Samman Yojana' in neighbouring Jharkhand and the 'Mukhyamantri-Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' in Maharashtra.
Ahead of the Bihar polls next year, Nitish will start his statewide yatra from Valmikinagar in West Champaran district, and like before, has plans to interact with women voters. The state cabinet has allocated a budget of Rs 225.78 crore for the programme, highlighting themes of women's empowerment under Nitish Kumar's leadership. Nitish plans to establish a dialogue with women in rural areas during his tours.
Sources say he may make some novel announcements after his yatra to reel in women voters across castes, who have stood by him because of his women-friendly governance.
The nine-time chief minister enjoys considerable goodwill among Bihar's women voters due to his policies like the liquor ban, bicycle distribution scheme for schoolgirls, 50% reservation for women in urban local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions, and 35% in jobs.
"Yatras definitely benefit political parties, provided they are done sincerely. For Nitish, this will be his 15th yatra in his nearly two-decade stint as chief minister. Whatever interactions happen during these yatras are impactful. He has done a lot for women empowerment. In fact, they are his silent voters," says Sanjay Kumar, a political analyst based in Patna.
JD(U) versus RJD
Like Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi also wants a sense of the 'ground reality' by directly interacting with the public and party workers under the 'Karyakarta Samvad Karyakram'. He too is eyeing women voters as they form nearly 48% of Bihar's voting population.
"RJD has never done anything exclusively for women. In fact, women were unsafe during the RJD regime and the perception prevails even now. In the game of one-upmanship, Tejashwi thinks he has played a masterstroke by announcing Rs 2,500 cash transfer schemes to outdo Nitish's welfare programme for women," says Sanjay Kumar.
This will be the third phase of Tejashwi's 'Karyakarta Samvad Yatra', which he started in September but left midway due to festivals and by-elections. The party leaders have still not been able to fathom the defeat of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in the Lok Sabha elections this year and in the November by-elections to four assembly seats.
"Tejashwi has not been able to complete any of his yatras earlier. He gets disoriented in between. He is going for another yatra in the hope that he would get some seats like Congress got in Lok Sabha elections after Rahul Gandhi's Nyay yatra," says Sanjay Kumar.
Tejashwi has been taking swipes at the chief minister's 'Pragati Yatra', calling it a waste of public money. He has also questioned the government spending of Rs 225 crore sanctioned by the cabinet for the Yatra.
In his X post on December 14, Tejashwi wrote, "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will spend Rs 104 crore for publicity on social media etc. in the name of the yatra and Rs 114 crore for tea-water and snacks from the government treasury to improve his tarnished image. Apart from this, Rs 150 crore will also be given to a PR company."
This has not gone down well with the JD(U) and Chirag Paswan's LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) (Ram Vilas) who both questioned the 15-year rule of his parents before 2005.
Tejashwi also wants to attack Nitish Kumar's government on law-and-order, its failed liquor ban, corruption and land survey. He has been bragging about his government's focus on job creation during Tejashwi's tenure as deputy chief minister.
All major political parties are trying their luck with yatras. BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh had taken out the 'Hindu Swabhiman Yatra' only a few weeks back. The BJP hasn't officially experimented with a yatra in Bihar yet. The CPI-ML's Badlo Bihar Nyay Yatra, and Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani's Nishad Sankalp Yatra also happened a few months ago.
Former poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who launched his own Jan Suraaj Party on October 2, has been on a yatra since 2022.
Politicians in yet another Indian state are going all out with freebies to woo voters. Development, employment generation, industrialisation, agrarian reforms are not even remotely on the agenda. Whose yatra will translate into victory?
(The author is Contributing Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author