Under current rules, a former MLA receives a base pension of ₹45,000 for the first year, with an annual increment of ₹4,000. Over a standard five-year term, this accumulates to ₹61,000 monthly. Two consecutive terms take the pension to ₹81,000, while long-serving legislators with three or four terms see their pensions rise to ₹1.01 lakh and ₹1.21 lakh, respectively. Because the provision compounds with each completed term, politicians with decades in office often draw pensions exceeding top administrative officers.
The highest pension in Bihar is received by Satyadev Narayan Arya, who served 33 years as an MLA. His monthly pension stands at ₹1.73 lakh. Jagdish Sharma, a former MLA for 31 years, receives ₹1.65 lakh, while Rameshwar Paswan, who represented Sikandra for 28 years, draws ₹1.53 lakh. Congress leader Awdhesh Kumar Singh, an MLA for 25 years, receives ₹1.41 lakh after losing the 2025 election.
RJD senior leader Jagdanand Singh, who served for 24 years, receives ₹1.37 lakh, while among women, former MLA Bima Bharti tops the list with a pension of ₹1.33 lakh.
By contrast, the entry salary of an IAS officer is around ₹84,000 per month, though senior officers such as the Cabinet Secretary earn up to ₹3.69 lakh. The gap has raised questions about the scale and structure of legislative pensions.
In addition to pension, former MLAs and MLCs receive annual travel coupons worth ₹2 lakh and lifetime medical benefits at CGHS rates. Families of deceased legislators continue to receive 75% of the pension amount.
The growing disparity has revived discussions on whether Bihar’s pension framework for public representatives requires reform or greater accountability.
