Patna: The Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) on Tuesday released its much-anticipated manifesto for the Bihar Assembly elections, titled “Bihar ka Tejaswi Pran”, laying out 20 key pledges under the leadership of RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.
The most striking announcement promises one government job for every family within 20 months of forming the government. Tejashwi said a law will be enacted within 20 days to make the promise legally binding.
“This is not just about forming a government — it’s about building Bihar,” Tejashwi said while unveiling the manifesto in Patna. “All the partners of the Grand Alliance stand united in this pledge to bring real change to the people of Bihar.”
The manifesto, unveiled at a joint press conference, also featured Rahul Gandhi’s photograph, though Tejashwi’s image dominated the poster, signalling his role as the face of the alliance.
Key Highlights of the Manifesto
The document promises wide-ranging reforms and welfare measures across sectors — employment, women’s empowerment, education, agriculture, and governance.
Jobs and Employment
- A law to guarantee one government job per family within 20 months.
- Contract workers and JEEViKA Didis to be made permanent employees with a fixed monthly salary of Rs 30,000.
- Loan interest for JEEViKA Didis to be waived.
Infrastructure and Industry
- Construction of five new expressways across Bihar.
- Establishment of IT parks, SEZs, educational cities, and industrial clusters on 2,000 acres.
- Promotion of skill-based employment in manufacturing, renewable energy, logistics, and tourism.
Social Welfare
- Launch of Mai-Behin Maan Yojana, providing Rs 2,500 per month to women.
- Implementation of the Old Pension Scheme and Rs 1,500 monthly pension for widows and the elderly, rising annually by Rs 200.
- Disabled persons to receive a monthly pension of Rs 3,000.
- 200 units of free electricity for every household.
Education and Youth
- Waiver of exam and form fees for competitive exams and free travel to exam centres.
- Establishment of a women’s college in every subdivision and degree colleges in 136 blocks currently lacking one.
- Enactment of transfer and posting policy ensuring personnel remain within 70 km of home districts.
Agriculture and Farmers
- Guaranteed MSP procurement for all crops.
- Revival of mandis and market committees at block and district levels.
Health
- Free health insurance up to Rs 25 lakh under Jan Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.
- Upgradation of district hospitals and addition of super-specialty facilities in all medical colleges.
Law, Order, and Governance
- Zero-tolerance policy toward crime with fixed tenures for SPs and SHOs.
- Passage of a Prevention of Atrocities Against Backward Classes Act.
- Reservation in local bodies to rise to 30% for Most Backward Classes and 20% for Scheduled Castes.
Minority and Cultural Rights
- Protection of minority rights and suspension of the Waqf Amendment Bill.
- Bodh Gaya temples to be managed by the Buddhist community.
The manifesto also proposes sending 200 SC/ST students abroad for higher education and placing Bihar’s reservation expansion law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to protect it from judicial review.
Political observers view the manifesto as Tejashwi Yadav’s bid to energise Bihar’s youth and women voters, groups that could decisively influence the upcoming polls.
The Grand Alliance — comprising the RJD, Congress, and Left parties — is positioning the manifesto as a “social contract” for a new Bihar, seeking to challenge the NDA’s development narrative with promises of employment, equity, and social justice.
