PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday launched the ‘Samriddhi Yatra’ from Bettiah in West Champaran, marking his 17th statewide march and the 15th in his capacity as Bihar chief minister since he took reins of the state.
Launching the yatra amid a harsh winter, Kumar signalled a renewed push to strengthen administrative delivery following the landslide victory of the Janata Dal (United)–led alliance, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party and smaller allies, in the recent Bihar Assembly elections.
During the Samriddhi Yatra, the Chief Minister will review projects initiated during his earlier Pragati Yatra and under the Saat Nischay (Seven Resolves) programme. Between December 2024 and February 2025, Kumar had announced development schemes worth nearly Rs 50,000 crore during the Pragati Yatra. Of the 430 projects identified, 428 have received departmental approval, and the Cabinet has cleared funding and implementation.
Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit has directed heads of departments, district magistrates and superintendents of police to ensure smooth conduct of the programme, during which the Chief Minister will also interact with the public.
JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the NDA government faced the challenge of meeting public expectations after securing an absolute majority. He said the Chief Minister would review scheme implementation and lay foundation stones for projects critical to Bihar’s development.
However, the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal questioned the intent of the yatra. RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmed alleged that the Chief Minister was undertaking the march to ease pressure from the BJP. He said the yatra should have begun from Aurangabad, where a bridge recently collapsed, instead of Champaran.
“Nitish Kumar has undertaken yatras under different names. This time it is Samriddhi, but whose prosperity is he talking about?” Ahmed said, alleging the move was aimed at preserving political ground rather than addressing public welfare.
Meanwhile, political analysts noted that women voters played a decisive role in the NDA’s victory, with over 1.56 crore women receiving financial assistance shortly before the polls.