Patna: The Nitish Kumar government is facing serious allegations from the Jan Suraaj Party over the use of public funds during the Bihar assembly election period. Party leader Uday Singh accused the administration of diverting a Rs 14,000 crore World Bank loan for pre-poll cash transfers and welfare payouts. He said the state spent close to Rs 40,000 crore from June until the announcement of elections.
Singh said the spending targeted voters across districts through schemes that transferred money directly into bank accounts. He pointed to the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, under which women received Rs 10,000 each shortly before polling. He said the transfers continued till a day before voting. Singh said these payouts influenced voters, especially women facing financial stress.
He added that the government increased old age pension amounts only after the Jan Suraaj Party announced its own pension proposal. He also acknowledged that many voters chose the NDA because they feared a return of what they described as jungle raj under the RJD. He said this fear affected his party’s prospects.
The BJP-led NDA won 202 seats in the 243-member Assembly. The BJP secured 89 seats and the JD(U) won 85. The Mahagathbandhan managed 35 seats. The Jan Suraaj Party did not win a seat. Singh said the scale of spending created an uneven field and shaped the final mandate.
