Nitish to embark on last leg of Samriddhi Yatra from March 10

Ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will embark on last and third phase of his Samriddhi Yatra in Seemanchal (border) areas of the State from Tuesday (March 10) to review ongoing development projects and schemes of the government and interact with common people. Later, after his election to the Rajya Sabha, for which he had filed his nomination papers on March 5, Mr. Nitish Kumar is likely to shift to a new official residence in Patna.

In a letter issued to all department secretaries, Cabinet Secretary Arvind Kumar Choudhury said the Chief Minster would review the ongoing government projects, development works and schemes during the upcoming yatra. During his yatra from March 10-14, Mr. Nitish Kumar would be visiting Madhepura, Supaul, Katihar, Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, Saharsa, Begusarai, Khagaria and Sheikhpura. He was also scheduled to make night stay for few days at Madhepura and from there he would be visiting the neighbouring districts. All Additional Chief Secretaries of the departments and senior officials responsible for the projects would participate in the review meetings, said the letter.

Budget session

The first phase of the Samridhi Yatra was held from January 16 to 24 this year from West Champaran. The Chief Minister had covered Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Gopalganj, Saran, Siwan, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali districts. In the second leg of the yatra from January 27 to 29, Mr. Nitish Kumar had toured Darbhanga, Madhubani and Samastipur districts. The ongoing yatra was discontinued because of the nearly month-long budget session of the State legislature. Earlier, from December 2024 to February 2025, Mr. Nitish Kumar had undertaken Pragati Yatra across the State.

Meanwhile, the buzz in political circles is that Mr. Nitish Kumar, after being elected to the Rajya Sabha for which elections are scheduled to be held on March 16, would shift to a new official residence 7, Circular road from the official chief ministerial bungalow 1, Anne Marg, Earlier, Mr. Nitish Kumar had stayed at renovated 7, Circular Road bungalow, located near Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi’s 10, Circular Road bungalow. Earlier, on March 5, along with four other NDA candidates, Mr. Nitish Kumar had filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha seat.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar, 50, who had joined the ruling JD(U) on March 8 at the party headquarters in Patna, visited Kankerbagh on Monday to pay obeisance to the bust of his late mother Manju Sinha. “I fondly remember her on this occasion”, said Mr. Nishant Kumar. He too would soon embark on a tour across the State to take forward his father’s development works and interact with party leaders and workers at the ground level.