
Big announcement ahead of polls: Free electricity upto 125 units in Bihar from August 1; all you need to know
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As the Bihar election season intensifies, chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday morning announced a major relief for residents: free electricity for up to 125 units. While unveiling the scheme, Kumar praised his government's long-standing commitment to affordability, and said that starting August 1, all domestic consumers will be exempt from paying charges for the first 125 units of electricity.
"We have decided that from 1 August 2025, that is, from the July bill onwards, all domestic consumers in the state will not have to pay any charges for up to 125 units of electricity," Nitish said in a post on X.
"This will benefit a total of 1 crore 67 lakh families in the state," the statement added.
He also revealed plans to significantly expand the state's renewable energy capacity: 'Under the Kutir Jyoti scheme, for extremely poor families, the state government will bear the entire cost of installing solar power plants, and for the rest, the government will provide appropriate support. This means domestic consumers will no longer have to bear any cost for electricity up to 125 units, and at the same time, it is estimated that within the next three years, up to 10,000 megawatts of solar energy will be available in the state,' Kumar said.
A day earlier, Nitish had urged swift teacher recruitment in government schools, directing officials to begin the TRE 4 process. He reaffirmed the 35% women's quota applies exclusively to female candidates who are residents of Bihar.

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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Nitish slams oppn for protests in black attire
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The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
Nitish berates Opposition members for coming to Assembly dressed in black
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday (July 25, 2025) berated Opposition MLAs for turning up at the Assembly wearing black shirts, as a mark of protest against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The longest serving CM of the State expressed his vexation on the final day of the monsoon session, which is the current Assembly's last before fresh elections, to be announced in barely a couple of months from now. As Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav started conducting the Question Hour, Opposition members were on their feet, raising slogans against the exercise, which has kept the assembly on the boil so far. Mr. Yadav remarked, in jest, "It is raining today. The weather is cool. Why are you people getting heated? Allow the House to function. This is the last day". Soon afterwards, the Chief Minister rose in his chair and said, "These people who are making so much noise understand nothing about legislative business. They have never done anything worthwhile". When some of the Opposition members protested, the 75-year-old Leader of the House retorted, "Why on earth are you wearing black clothes? I have been seeing you people do so for the last few days. Have you ever done so before?". Interestingly, quite a few MLAs of Mr. Kumar's JD(U) and his ally BJP had come to the House wearing helmets, claiming that they feared getting hit by the unruly Opposition members. The Speaker pleaded with the opposition members, some of whom had by the time entered the well, to behave themselves, pointing out that some school children had been invited to watch the proceedings of the House. However, some of the opposition members continued creating a ruckus, and tried to overturn furniture meant for the reporting staff. Subsequently, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm, within minutes of the commencement of proceedings.


News18
a day ago
- News18
Balancing The Scales: BJP And The Politics Of OBC Representation
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But over time, parties from the Mandal-era champions like the Janata Dal to regional leaders like Nitish Kumar and Mulayam Singh Yadav emerged from within their ranks. The BJP entered the OBC game late but aggressively. In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi—himself an OBC—successfully crafted a narrative that bypassed traditional caste loyalties. He offered something different: a pan-Hindu identity laced with ambition and nationalism. 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" resonated, especially among non-dominant, non-Yadav OBCs in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who felt excluded by earlier caste-based parties. The recent chorus for a nationwide caste census has thrown the BJP into a strategic bind. Mandal 2.0 is not about social justice alone—it is a demand for statistical truth, for a reordering of privilege. It pits the call for OBC-centric policies against a party structure that still draws much of its intellectual and organisational muscle from upper-caste networks. While regional allies and rivals have openly backed the caste census, the BJP has been hesitant. There's a reason. A full revelation of caste numbers could undermine the Hindu unity narrative. It could also expose the disparity between representation and population share—especially if dominant castes are shown to wield disproportionate political and bureaucratic power. The BJP's resistance is not just ideological but also tactical. The party knows that embracing the caste census may demand a restructuring of power within its own house. That kind of churn does not come easy. Shift must be silent Internally, the BJP has made overtures to the OBCs by creating OBC Morchas, expanding OBC quotas in educational and political institutions, and ensuring greater OBC representation in its ticket distribution. Leaders like Keshav Prasad Maurya, Sanjay Nishad, and Bhupendra Patel are meant to signal inclusivity. 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Even within the NDA, tensions are rising. Allies like Nitish Kumar and other regional leaders demand more space and more say. They understand what the BJP does too: that OBC assertion is no longer just about welfare—it is about ownership of the national narrative. What might come next, one might ask? For the BJP, the road ahead involves hard choices. It can no longer afford to run on symbolism alone. The Modi-era social coalition—a mix of backward classes, aspirational youth, and nationalist pride—is ageing. The demand now is for deeper representation, structural fairness, and acknowledgement of historical imbalances. If the BJP resists these currents, it risks losing the very communities it once brought under its umbrella. If it embraces them, it will have to reimagine its ideological scaffolding—less about unity, and more about equity. The OBC issue is no longer a footnote. It is the future of Indian politics. And for the BJP, the time to choose is now. The author is a writer, social worker and a corporate learning and development expert. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.