CM Of India's Poorest State To Get 4 New Bulletproof Range Rovers Worth Rs. 11 Crore
Bihar is often considered one of the poorest states in India. Latest reports reveal that the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will soon procure four bulletproof Range Rovers worth over 11 Crores. Interestingly, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi uses bulletproof Range Rovers in his official convoy.
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Officials connected with the CM’s office say that each of the four Range Rovers will cost Rs 2.79 Crores. The Range Rover now has a base ex-showroom price of Rs 2.31 Crores in India. The range-topping variant costs over Rs 4.25 Cr, ex-showroom.
A total of Rs 11.17 crores was allotted toward the procurement of four Range Rovers in July last year. The process has now been sped up, and we will soon see these enter service. One of these will be used by the CM himself, while two SUVs will likely be allotted to the Deputy CMs, according to a source.
Officials reportedly told the media that the decision to buy Range Rovers was arrived at, ‘purely out of security reasons’. These SUVs are known for their safety and security standards and are used by various world leaders and business tycoons due to the same.
And for Nitish Kumar, who is famous for using a humble Hyundai Ioniq 5 for local commutes, a Range Rover is a major upgrade- both in terms of luxury/ comfort and security. For perspective, the IONIQ 5 costs just around Rs 50 lakh, ex-showroom.
Nitish Kumar now enjoys a three-tier hi-tech security arrangement. He is, in fact, serving his 10th term as Bihar’s CM, and is even entitled to a Special Security Group (SSG) security cover. ‘These vehicles (the new Range Rovers) will soon be inducted into the CM’s convoy after technical checks and verification of safety standards.’- said an official aware of the development, underlining that the purchase isn’t just a display of luxury and has more serious security significance as well.
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For travel outside Patna, Bihar’s capital, the CM now uses a bulletproof Tata Safari. The state’s home department had recently bought four bulletproof Fortuners as well. The deputy chief minister-cum-home minister, Samrat Choudhary, uses one of these. Also, the Chief Ministers of several other states have Range Rovers in their official convoy.
Talking about the purchase, Bihar’s State transport minister, Shravan Kumar told ETV Bharat, "When it comes to the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister, they should be provided adequate security. I don't have information on how many SUVs will be provided."
MLC Sachchidanand Rai and JDU MLA Amarendra Pandey are the other famous politicians from Bihar who own Range Rovers. It isn’t rare to find politicians using expensive (and fast) cars. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is often seen in his Mercedes-Benz GLS 350d and Toyota Land Cruiser. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu often uses a BMW X5 and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Most of these vehicles have their security enhanced, and some are even armoured.
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Talking of armoured vehicles, there are different levels of security enhancements (read: armouring)- the higher you go up the ladder, the safer the vehicle becomes and the more it costs. It remains unclear if Nitish Kumar’s Range Rover will come with armour and if yes, what extent of protection would it provide. We expect these details to surface in the coming months.
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Interestingly, the Bihar CM had a Hindustan Ambassador in his official fleet for a long time. In his early days, he used to use it extensively. The Ambassador is still remembered as the ‘politician’s car’ by many.
Later, the Minister reportedly switched to a bulletproof Tata Safari due to the maintenance issues and mechanical snags that the Ambassador would present after long journeys.
The EV adoption was a nod to the collective push for pollution control. He loved the IONIQ 5 at an expo, and soon after it, added one to his garage.