Jobs, crime and finances: What Nitish must fix in his new term

Nitish Kumar took oath for 10th time as Bihar chief minister

Nitish Kumar has taken oath as Bihar’s chief minister for the 10th time, reinforcing once again his unmatched grip over the state’s politics. In the 73 years since Independence, Bihar has seen 23 chief ministers. The 22 chief ministers have held office for a total of 54 years and Nitish alone has been in the chair for more than 19 years. Since November 2005, he has stepped away from the post only briefly – nine months in 2014–15 after taking responsibility for JD(U)’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. Over two decades, Nitish introduced several reforms in infrastructure, education, livelihoods and women’s empowerment – earning him the image of Sushasan Babu. Yet, despite these interventions, Bihar continues to feature among India’s least developed states. His latest term, therefore, isn’t just about retaining power; it’s about delivering acceleration in Bihar’s economic and social progress.So, what are the big hurdles ahead? Here are the three biggest challenges Nitish will have to confront in his new innings.

The toughest test: Jobs, industries and stemming migration

Across Bihar’s villages an old saying still resonates, only the elderly and widows remain behind; the working-age men have left in search of jobs. Unemployment and migration were the biggest flashpoints in this election, and young voters voiced their frustration more openly than ever. The expectation is clear, the state must create enough jobs so that people don’t have to migrate at least for low-paying work.

Data from the Institute for Human Development (IHD) and the economic advisory council to the PM (EAC-PM) paints a stark picture. Two out of every three households in Bihar have a member working outside the state. In 1981, only 10–15 per cent of households had a migrant worker; by 2017, that number had jumped to 65 per cent.Even JD(U) leaders acknowledge the pressure. During the campaign, party working president Sanjay Jha told me that accelerating industrialisation would be the government’s top priority. He was candid,”If a youth has to leave Bihar even for a ₹20,000 job, what is the point? The migration state tag must go.”He added that the state has improved its infrastructure and power supply over the last 20 years,now we have to bring investment.

For Nitish, the pressure to show results on this front will begin from Day One.

Funding the promises: A financial balancing act

Women voters played a decisive role in NDA’s strong performance. According to polling analyst Yashwant Deshmukh, among male voters the NDA led the Mahagathbandhan by only 2 per cent but the gap among women voters was a massive 18%. The Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme was a major factor behind this surge.Just before the election, the government transferred ₹10,000 each to 1.51 crore women- a move costing about Rs 15,000 crore. The scheme also promises financial support up to ₹2 lakh for women once they start any chosen small enterprise be it farming, handicrafts, tailoring or other small trades.Add to this a list of other announcements:

Experts estimate that free power alone will require about Rs 20,000 crore annually. The Women Employment Scheme may cost roughly the same. Pensions will need another Rs 10,000 crore. Bihar’s last budget stood at around Rs 3.17 lakh crore. Balancing these promises within the fiscal space will be one of Nitish’s toughest administrative challenges.

Restoring the ‘Sushasan Babu’ brand

The Mahagathbandhan’s defeat once again showed that the opposition could not counter the ‘jungle raj’ narrative even after two decades. For Nitish, the challenge now is not only governance but also restoring the old credibility of his brand.Many in Bihar divide his tenure into two phases and widely agree that 2005–2015 was the stronger spell. After Nitish taking charge in 2005,Bihar oversaw a decline in crime, cracked down on several notorious ganglords and brought an end to the era of caste massacres.But recent crime data has raised concerns. India Today reports that the crime rate per lakh population, which was 183.7 in 2013, shot up to 281.9 in 2016. During the pandemic, it dipped to 211.3, but has since climbed again – 228 in 2021, 277.1 in 2022 and 277.5 in 2023. According to the NCRB, Bihar recorded 53,057 murders between 2006 and 2022.To reclaim the ‘Sushasan Babu’ image, Nitish will have to show improvement on the law-and-order front.Politically too, the landscape is trickier. The BJP has re-emerged as the dominant force in the Assembly, while Chirag Paswan’s party has made a strong entry with 19 seats. Managing alliance dynamics and ensuring JD(U) doesn’t get overshadowed will be another test.Nitish faces a complex mix of economic, political and administrative challenges – creating jobs, slowing outmigration, financing big welfare schemes and restoring a governance brand that once defined his leadership.

Whether this term becomes a turning point for Bihar or merely a continuation of old battles, will depend on how effectively he navigates these three urgent priorities. Go to Source