The upcoming Bihar assembly elections have kickstarted a competition to claim responsibility for government job opportunities. The government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released a recruitment advertisement for 280,000 government positions in the state on Thursday. The JD (U), led by Nitish Kumar, is optimistic that these new hires will give them an advantage in the upcoming elections.
Over five hundred thousand positions are projected to be filled throughout Nitish’s complete term, and if calculated from 2005, this number could reach one million. This is in response to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s assertion that he has bolstered his influence in Bihar regarding employment.
During the 2020 assembly elections, Tejashwi’s pledge of creating 10 lakh jobs resonated with the youth and boosted his popularity. In the Lok Sabha elections, he addressed the same concern and stated that he had filled three lakh positions in 17 months. Tejashwi claims that the Nitish administration took cues from him regarding employment and his efforts pushed the government to prioritize job creation.
Although RJD did not achieve the anticipated victory in the Lok Sabha elections, Tejashwi’s employment matter remains a hit with the younger generation. The government has revealed 280,000 new job openings, with 139,000 positions available in the education sector. Over the past three years, the education sector has hired over 250,000 employees, the most in the state.
In addition, there are 22,730 open positions in the Home Department, with 21,391 of them being for police constables. Recruitment for 4,070 positions in the Panchayati Raj Department and 11,783 positions in different commissions, boards, and corporations will take place. Between 2020 and 2022, around 250,000 teachers were hired in the most recent large-scale recruitments. This is regarded as the largest hiring during Nitish Kumar’s time in office.
Lately, in a video clip, Chief Minister was observed requesting DGP Alok Raj to expedite the process of filling the unfilled positions within the police department. Tejashwi Yadav commented that this indicates a Chief Minister who is weak and unable to act independently, resorting to asking officials for help with public projects. He commented that this indicates a problem for democracy and highlights the shortcomings of the Nitish government.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari criticized Nitish’s approach, claiming that the concept of job generation belongs to Tejashwi, and Nitish Kumar previously stated that there was insufficient funding to recruit for government positions. Tiwari argued that Nitish is under pressure now, and if RJD wins in 2025, they will provide employment opportunities and also cancel electricity charges.
Simultaneously, Neeraj Kumar, the spokesperson for JD (U), commended Bihar’s development approach and acknowledged the nationwide recognition Nitish Kumar’s concepts are receiving, with several of his innovative ideas being implemented by the central government. Neeraj clarified that Nitish is not copycatting, but actually his original ideas are making a positive impact on the progress of the state and the country.
The topic of employment has become a significant subject of discussion among political parties prior to the Bihar elections. Both Nitish and Tejashwi are making efforts to claim recognition for this, resulting in a heated atmosphere of job