Political row erupts over Bihar CM Samrat Chaudhary's appeal to forgo free electricity

A political storm has erupted in Bihar after Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary appealed to the state's economically well-off citizens and taxpayers to voluntarily forgo the benefit of free electricity. Following the Chief Minister's remarks, discussions have emerged regarding the potential termination of the 125-unit free electricity scheme in the coming days.

During the two-day 'Patliputra National Youth Parliament 2.0' organised in Patna, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary stated that everyone in Bihar, from the poor to the rich, is provided with 125 units of free electricity. He clarified that the state government is spending between ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 per family annually as electricity subsidy, amounting to a total of ₹23,000 crore per year. He appealed to the state's prosperous and tax-paying citizens to voluntarily give up the 125-unit free electricity benefit to contribute to the development of Bihar.

To substantiate his point, the Chief Minister cited the example of Uttar Pradesh. He claimed that despite Uttar Pradesh having nearly double the population of Bihar, its expenditure on electricity subsidy is only around ₹6,000 crore. Samrat Chaudhary further added that if people forgo the free electricity benefit, the saved funds could be utilised to strengthen Bihar's education system.

The Chief Minister also mentioned other benefits provided by the government. He stated that under schemes such as the 'Student Credit Card', students pursuing higher education, including medicine and engineering, are provided financial assistance of up to ₹4 lakh, on which ₹18,000 crore is spent annually.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, has launched a scathing attack on the NDA government led by Samrat Chaudhary. Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the government is on the 'brink of bankruptcy'. The RJD leader alleged that the state is suffering heavy economic losses due to scams, corruption, revenue losses, increasing fiscal deficits, and debt. He further added that there are insufficient funds in the government treasury to pay employees' salaries, student scholarships, pensions, and farmers' dues.

The Chief Minister's appeal has also caused concern among the general public. Reacting to the matter, Sumitesh Kumar, a resident of Patna's Boring Canal Road area, said that if only the middle class and salaried people pay taxes, and it is from that tax that the government implements schemes, then why should they forgo the benefits? He suggested that instead of asking the common man, the Chief Minister should ask his cabinet colleagues to reduce the perks, Dearness Allowance (DA), and other benefits received as MLAs and ministers.

Similarly, Nalin Kumar from Patna expressed that this is not a good sign. He fears that the government might perhaps stop free electricity or significantly increase electricity rates after 125 units to recover revenue losses, as people are already paying GST.

It is noteworthy that 125 units of free electricity are provided under the 'Mukhyamantri Vidyut Upbhokta Sahayata Yojana' (MVUSY). This scheme was announced by then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on July 17, 2025, before the assembly elections. Additionally, under the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana' launched before the elections, ₹10,000 each has been transferred to the bank accounts of 1.81 crore women by February 2026.

According to a report by The Hindu, this entire sequence of events has created uncertainty regarding the future of free electricity in the state.