The Mahagathbandhan on Tuesday released its election manifesto for Bihar titled “Tejashwi Pran” (Tejashwi’s Pledge), which lists a slew of promises headlined by the assurance of a government job for one member of each family and 200 units of free electricity for every household.

Most of the 25 key pledges outlined in the manifesto had already been announced earlier by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate. They were endorsed by the Mahagathbandhan leaders at the release event.

Among the new announcements, Tejashwi’s proposal to exempt toddy — a traditional palm drink — from the stringent prohibition laws imposed by the Nitish Kumar government in 2016 drew attention.

“Toddy is not alcohol; it is natural,” Tejashwi said, asserting that the drink was essential to the livelihood of a Dalit community.

Pledging to fulfil every promise “even at the cost of his life”, Tejashwi alleged a conspiracy to “steal” the upcoming Bihar elections, warning against attempts to “colonise” the state by “kuch log” (some people).

“Pran ko pran kho kar bhi poora karenge (I will fulfil the pledges even at the cost of my life),” Tejashwi declared while releasing the manifesto.

The 35-page document, promising “Sampurna Bihar ka Sampurna Parivartan” (Complete Transformation of Entire Bihar), formalised Tejashwi’s much-publicised “game-changer” assurance of providing government employment to at least one member of every family in the state.

“Within 20 days of forming the government, one member from every family will be given a government job,” the manifesto states.

In a state long plagued by migration and unemployment, the RJD leader hopes this promise will resonate across caste lines.

The manifesto also pledged 200 units of free electricity to every household, countering the Nitish Kumar government’s recent offer of 125 units of free power.

Attempting to woo women voters, the manifesto promised a monthly allowance of ₹2,500 for women from the economically weaker sections.

Other major commitments include the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for state government employees and permanent employment for all contractual workers.

Asked about the financial feasibility of such promises, Tejashwi avoided specifics, saying: “Leave that aside. All the promises are practical and made after proper study. I have the full blueprint, which will be released later.”

Tejashwi cautioned officers against being complicit in what he called a “vote chori” (vote theft) plan.

“We are working to build Bihar, while our rivals are working to capture it. I have information about plans to deploy a large number of central forces at polling booths in RJD strongholds,” he claimed, alleging efforts to ensure “low polling” in areas with traditionally high turnout.

“I urge officers not to let Bihar become a colony. Act justly — deceit and dishonesty will not work in Bihar,” Tejashwi added.

Tejashwi accused the BJP and “some corrupt officers” of turning chief minister and JDU leader Nitish into a “putla” (puppet) and expressed “sahanubhuti” (sympathy) towards him.

“I have sympathy for my uncle, Nitish Kumar. The BJP and some corrupt officers have turned him into a puppet. They are merely using his face to seek votes,” he said.

Referring to Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent statement that the next chief minister would be chosen by NDA legislators after the polls, Tejashwi said it confirmed that Nitish was not the NDA’s official chief ministerial face.

In a long post on X, Nitish dismissed the Mahagathbandhan’s job promise as misleading. “Nowadays, some people are making false claims about government jobs to deceive the youth. When they were in power for 15 years, they did nothing for the youth and were busy looting the state treasury,” he wrote, urging young voters not to “fall into confusion”.