Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has often spoken of three structures as defining his tenure: the Sardar Patel Bhavan (Bihar Police headquarters), the Bihar Museum, and the Samrat Ashok Convention Centre.
When the time came to select the venue for what may be his final public address as Chief Minister, advisers suggested Masaurhi. However, the CM chose to conclude his Samriddhi Yatra at Gyan Bhavan and Bapu Sabhagar — integral parts of the Samrat Ashok Convention Centre.
As the day coincided with the birth anniversary of Emperor Ashoka, the final leg of the yatra began with a formal tribute to the ancient ruler. This was followed by a review meeting with bureaucrats, a signature feature of the tour that commenced on January 16 and concluded this Thursday after traversing all 38 districts of Bihar.
The main event was held at the cavernous Bapu Sabhagar auditorium. The gathering saw a concentration of political heavyweights, including BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha, former Union minister and Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, and state minister Vijay Choudhary.
In a symbolic coincidence, the final two districts covered in the Samriddhi Yatra were Nalanda, Nitish Kumar’s janmbhoomi, and Patna, his karmbhoomi.
Since taking oath as Chief Minister for the first time on November 24, 2005, Nitish has been the face of Bihar’s leadership, barring a nine-month interregnum between May 2014 and February 2015. He departs as the state’s longest-serving CM, surpassing the record of the first chief minister, Dr Srikrishna Singh.
Dressed in his trademark white kurta-pajama, Nitish Kumar betrayed no outward emotion. He visited 20 districts as part of his yatra since his decision to move to the Rajya Sabha was made public, but he never explicitly spoke of “leaving” Bihar. Thursday was no different.
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The address focused on three core pillars: a sharp comparison between his regime and the RJD’s rule under Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, the story of Bihar’s “turnaround”, and an expression of gratitude toward the Central government. As he neared the conclusion, he requested the audience to stand in a show of endorsement. “Aap jaan lijiye, Bihar bahut aage badhega (Know this, Bihar will progress immensely),” he said.
“When I took over on November 24, 2005, my first challenge was to enforce the rule of law. Those before me had done nothing. People used to lock their doors by evening. When I travelled through my constituency as an MP, I saw it firsthand. There was communal tension and very few children attending school,” Nitish Kumar remarked. Without naming Lalu Prasad directly, he added, “When he had to quit, he installed his wife as CM, but did nothing for the empowerment of women.”
Nitish highlighted his signature social interventions, including the bicycle and school uniform schemes, the appointment of over five lakh teachers, and the overhaul of the healthcare system. “When I took charge, a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) saw an average of just 39 patients a month. Today, that number is 11,600. I increased the number of government medical colleges from six to 11, and soon, 18 districts will have their own medical college and hospital. The Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) alone now has 5,400 beds — the highest for any single hospital in the country,” he said.
The Chief Minister then transitioned to “Level-II” of the Bihar growth story, citing the four agriculture roadmaps and the saat nishchay (seven resolutions) programmes. These initiatives cover everything from industrial subsidies and housing to the IT sector. “We are now providing free land and subsidies to industries. By 2018, every household had electricity. Now, we are providing almost free power and offering solar panels to every home with a 50% subsidy,” he said.
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He also touched upon the caste-based survey that was conducted in Bihar, and noted that 94 lakh impoverished families were receiving financial assistance to start small businesses. “We have provided Rs 10,000 to Jeevika members and will provide up to Rs 2 lakh more to those with viable business ideas.”
He credited the Central government for its support in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Union Budgets. “Hum Modi ji ka naman karte hai (I offer my reverence to Modi ji), he said, pointing out that the Prime Minister had “visited Bihar several times to launch various developmental schemes”.
Concluding his speech, the Bihar CM turned to the crowd, “Mark my words: Bihar will go very far. You heard me, is it good? Stand up and tell me, is it right? Thank you very much.”
