Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ongoing state-wide tour, ‘Pragati Yatra’, has stirred Bihar’s politics. It has rejuvenated his party workers and revived his connections with women, a vote bank which he has built over the years. This has also made the opposition sit up and take notice.

During the tour, Nitish has been reviewing the impact of ongoing development schemes and launching initiatives worth hundreds of crores to boost infrastructure in every district. However, his focus remains on interaction with women voters.

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After the recent electoral outcomes in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, women have come to the centre of electoral politics. The commanding performance of incumbent governments in both the states had one common factor — women-centric direct cash transfer schemes.

Taking cue from their electoral success, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has also launched “Mai Bahin Maan Yojana” and promised to give Rs2,500 every month to every woman in Bihar.

However, political observers believe that the RJD’s direct cash transfer scheme to women voters may not yield the desired results. Unlike Nitish Kumar, the RJD has never done anything exclusively for women.

Veteran journalist Navendu said that Nitish Kumar was among the first few leaders to identify women voters, who form nearly 48 per cent of Bihar’s total voting population, as a constituency and the chief minister has nurtured it through various welfare schemes. He never preferred cash handouts as welfare politics.

“Although Nitish Kumar has renamed his ongoing state-wide tour from ‘Mahila Samvad Yatra’ to ‘Pragati Yatra’, interaction with women voters remains at the heart of it. It is a strategic move by the chief minister to connect with them, besides assessing the impact of his government’s programmes, and consolidate his position as a leader focused on the state’s progress. It will certainly rejuvenate his legacy,” said Navendu.

Schemes like 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions and urban bodies and 35 per cent reservation in jobs, bicycle distribution scheme for schoolgirls, financial assistance to families for the education and marriage of girls, strategies to enhance the role of women in agriculture, and prohibiting the sale of liquor in Bihar have earned him wide support among women voters.

The formation of ‘Jeevika’ self-help group for women in 2006 remains one of the most significant achievements of Nitish Kumar.

Today, the number of Jeevika groups has increased to 10,61,000 (10 lakh 61 thousand), with which 1 crore 31 lakh women are associated. Now, the Jeevika self-help groups are also formed in urban areas. So far 20,000 Jeevika groups have been formed in the cities, with which 3 lakh women are associated.