The model code of conduct for panchayat bypolls can play spoilsport during chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Sewa Yatra, scheduled to start on November 9 - the day candidates will start filing nomination. The CM secretariat officials are trying to find out if Nitish’s itinerary includes any block where panchayat bypoll is scheduled. If there is any, he will have to curb his announcements during the Sewa Yatra,” said an official. Nitish has been very careful to follow the code of conduct during elections. Not a single case of violation of code of conduct has been instituted against him in sharp contrast to his chief political rival Lalu Prasad, said a JD(U) leader. “But the code of conduct is going to play spoilsport for sure,” said the official recalling that the chief minister loves to make announcements during his yatras. Patna commissioner .P. Ramaiya and Patna municipal commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pal rustrated the audience xpecting better amenities in the city at a meeting at Bihar Chamber of Commerce. “The commissioner flatly turned down the equest to cart garbage at night to prevent traffic jams. He said the job cannot be done at night because of the absence of streetlights. Another request to provide adequate number of brooms to the sweepers lso evoked a cold response. We were told that ommissioners and district magistrates were not xpected to see if sweepers were doing their job or not,” said a member of he audience. There ppears to be no relief for the citizens of the state apital from garbage and filth, he said. The chief minister’s hat inspection a couple of days ago forced a ew youngsters to bandon their birthday celebrations on boats of the state tourism epartment. A youngster with half his birthday cake cut for his friends argued with the official concerned stressing that he had paid for an hour’s boat ride but had to bandon it within 10 minutes. His demand or return of money as ignored and was asked to leave. He did o grumbling that he chief minister ad spoilt his birthday bash The government drivers bringing their sahibs to the new secretariat every day envy the drivers of the old secretariat. “There is a separate room for drivers to sit in the old secretariat. In the new secretariat, there is no such arrangement and we to have sit in the open air bearing the heat and cold,” said a driver. Drivers sit on an abandoned electric poll while their sahibs are in office. “The old secretariat was made during Angrez jamana (British regime) and they took care of drivers also,” he added..
Monday, 09 February 2026
