Tejashwi Yadav promises doubled allowances, Rs 50 lakh insurance for Bihar's panchayat leaders if INDIA bloc wins

Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD) leader and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday rolled out a series of sweeping welfare promises for Bihar’s panchayati raj representatives and public distribution system (PDS) distributors, as the state heads into a high-stakes Assembly election next month.

Addressing supporters in Patna, Yadav said that if the Opposition’s INDIA bloc is voted to power, it will “double the allowances of representatives of Bihar’s panchayati raj system.”

He further promised a pension scheme and a ₹50 lakh insurance cover for panchayati raj representatives, a section that forms the bedrock of Bihar’s rural governance.

In another major assurance aimed at grassroots delivery systems, the RJD leader announced that a “substantial increase in per-quintal margin money of PDS distributors” would be implemented under an INDIA bloc government.

The announcements come less than two weeks before Bihar goes to the polls in two phases—on November 6 and 11, with results scheduled for November 14.

The promises appear calibrated to appeal to the state’s large network of local elected representatives and fair price shop owners, both of whom wield considerable influence in rural constituencies.

Yadav’s remarks mark the latest in a series of populist pledges by the Opposition alliance as it seeks to challenge the ruling NDA’s decade-long hold over Bihar.