The Mahagathbandhan alliance partners in Bihar – the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties – released their manifesto on Saturday, 17 October, for the upcoming elections.
Entitled 'Our Pledge for Change', the manifesto was released by the RJD leader and the alliance's chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav in the presence of Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala and other Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan partner leaders.
Promises in the Mahgathbandhan Manifesto
The manifesto promises to waive fees for various recruitment examinations in Bihar, apart from travel cost of candidates to the examination centres. Candidates of all castes and communities will be exempted from fee payable for government recruitment. They will also be able to travel free of cost from district headquarters to the examination centres inside the state.
It also promises 'same pay for same work' for contract teachers, apart from opening Karpuri labour distress centres.
One person from each rural family would be included under MGNREGA, and policies made to create more jobs under this scheme. Privatisation in every government department will be abolished and casual employees made permanent in the same departments, the manifesto promised.
While releasing the manifesto, Yadav said, "Bihar has double engine government. Nitish Kumar has been governing the state for the last 15 years but it has not been accorded the special category status yet. Donald Trump will not come and accord that."
Congress state President Madan Mohan Jha, Congress leader Akhilesh Singh, CPI-ML leader Shashi Yadav, CPI-M leader Arun Sinha, and CPI leader Ram Babu Kumar were also present on the occasion.
Voting in the three-phase election for Bihar's 243-member Assembly will be held on 28 October, 3 November and 7 November, while the counting of votes will take place on 10 November.
In the first phase, voting will be held for 71 Assembly seats on November 28, while in the second phase, there will be voting for 94 seats on November 3, and for 78 seats on 7 November in the last phase.
(With inputs from IANS)
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