PATNA, Sept. 19 -- Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav, who is currently touring some districts as part of his Bihar Adhikar Yatra, has switched to promises of providing employment to youths in state instead of a dominant theme of "vote theft" that reverberated during the Voter Adhikar Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi last month. On Thursday, while passing through Begusarai, he said that if the INDIA bloc forms the government, every youth holding a degree in state will be given employment. "I assure that if we come to power in Bihar, all youths holding a degree would get jobs in the state. We will work to eradicate unemployment, which is a biggest issue in the state," Yadav said in different rallies during his course of Yatra at Begusarai and also at other places. Yadav, whose yatra is being seen as a pre-poll warm up ahead of the October-November assembly polls and a show of strength of the party, also reiterated that he has always fulfilled his promises in giving jobs. "In 2020 poll campaign, I had promised 10 lakh jobs. During our government of Mahagathbandhan (from August 2022 to January 2024), I was instrumental in creating five lakh jobs and also gave the status of state government employees to 4.5 lakh contractual teachers apart from filling up vacancies in different departments. I fulfil what I promise," Yadav has been asserting in the road shows, which has drawn a big crowd especially of youths. The focus of 35-year-old Yadav scion on job creation in the poll campaign for Bihar election is seen as a shift from the INDIA bloc's recent campaign against the alleged anomalies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for updating the electoral rolls. The INDIA bloc led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had led the "Voter Adhikar Yatra" from August 17 to August 31 traversing around 1,300-km covering almost 25 districts in which Tejashwi along with left party leaders had attended. Poll observers feel that the RJD leader has made a tactical move to set the poll agenda on job promise realising how recent SIR campaign had not made given much traction to the party to reach to its core voter and also to reach out to youth voters, who comprise around 20.65 % of the total electorate as per the last final updated electoral rolls in January 2025. The total number of voters in the 18-19 age group stood at 808857 while those in the age group of 20-29 stood at 1.55 crore as against 7.80 crore voters in the January updated list. DM Diwakar, former director of AN Sinha Institute of Social Sciences, Patna said Tejashwi's renewed focus on promising jobs to youths was a tactical move to make employment a core issue during the poll campaign as it had resonance among youths and also gave RJD an upper hand to showcase itself as a party committed to development of Bihar as well as aligned with the Left parties. "After the Voter Adhikar Yatra, the Congress has regained confidence and played a hard bargaining game in seat sharing, apparently. In that scenario, the RJD has renewed its focus on job and employment as poll promises strategically to reach out to youths and set the poll agenda on fundamental issues. Its a good move and the promise of giving 10 lakh jobs in 2020 assembly polls did pay dividends to the RJD. In some ways, RJD also is seemingly raking up employment to align itself with the left parties, which are in support of Tejashwi as the CM face," said Diwakar. Nawal Kishore Choudhary , another senior political observer, however said that Yadav's promise of giving all degree holders in the state employment was just a political gimmick. "From where would Tejashwi create jobs. This is nothing but poll rhetoric," Choudhary said. JD(U) state spokesperson Arvind Nishad said that youths in Bihar are not going to get influenced by the false promises being made by Yadav. "Chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in its vision for 2025-30 has promised 1 crore jobs for unemployed and all decisions are taken with budgetary provision. The state government has been one of the front runner states to have created jobs for youths and also giving allowance to graduate unemployed. Tejashwi's promises are all hollow," Nishad said. Meanwhile, Yadav in his rallies on Thursday also accused CM Kumar of copying some of his promises made in last few months like enhancing the pension for widows, physically disabled and also giving free power. " I assure that if our government comes, we will give 200 units of free power and also enhance the pension for widows, senior citizens from poorer sections to Rs.2,500," Yadav said. The RJD leader will reach Saharsa on Friday and travel to Samastipur by addressing workers and supporters at different places including Mahisi, Rosera, Vibhutipur and Ujiarpur, as per the schedule. The yatras would conclude on Saturday....