From sop opera to welfare schemes, Nitish gears up for 2019 Lok Sabha polls

The announcements are focused on winning back the seemingly waning support of backward communities, Maha-Dalits, minorities and women

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in the past 20 days, has inaugurated welfare schemes, laid foundation stones of projects and announced sops for contractual employees working in government. Most importantly, he also changed the draconian prohibition law of Bihar, watering down several of its penal provisions and introducing bail for violators.

Is Kumar gearing up for the 2019 general election?  The announcements are focused on winning back the seemingly waning support of backward communities, particularly the extremely backward castes (EBCs), Maha-Dalits, minorities and women.

However, the Janata Dal (United) terms these “responsibilities of a welfare state”. 

The inaugurations began on