Tejashwi Yadav Named Chief Ministerial Face of Opposition's Mahagathbandhan for Bihar Assembly Elections

Tejashwi Yadav thanked all alliance partners and said Mahagathbandhan will work together to rebuild Bihar

It's official. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has been named the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Opposition's Mahagathbandhan as Bihar prepares for a high-stakes Assembly election. Following weeks of internal negotiations over seat-sharing within the Opposition bloc, Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot formally announced Tejashwi as their Chief Ministerial candidate during a joint press conference with Mahagathbandhan allies in Patna.

Gehlot explained that the Mahagathbandhan selected Tejashwi Yadav as their Chief Ministerial candidate because he is "young" and "committed." He then challenged the BJP, saying: "I want to ask Amit Shah... our leader is Tejashwi Yadav. Now they should confirm who is their (NDA) Chief Minister face." Gehlot also revealed that Mukesh Sahani, who heads the Vikassheel Insaan Party, is the alliance's Deputy Chief Minister candidate, though additional deputies might be announced later. The senior leader mentioned that Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, supported Tejashwi Yadav's candidacy for the opposition's Chief Ministerial position.

READ: VIP's Mukesh Sahani Is Mahagathbandhan's Presumptive Deputy Chief Minister

Speaking at the press conference, Tejashwi expressed gratitude to all alliance partners and affirmed that the Mahagathbandhan would collaborate to rebuild Bihar. Taking aim at the NDA, he remarked, "Nitish Kumar is facing injustice. There has been no announcement that Nitish Kumar is the NDA's Chief Ministerial face. We want to ask Amit Shah, you declared Nitish Kumar as the Chief Ministerial face before every election, why not this time? This is Nitish Kumar's last election. Amit Shah has made it clear."

Today's press conference demonstrates the Mahagathbandhan's unity following weeks of tension regarding seat-sharing. Until now, the Congress had hesitated to endorse Tejashwi Yadav as the alliance's Chief Ministerial candidate, using this as leverage to secure a favorable seat allocation.

Seat-sharing discussions between the RJD and Congress had reached an impasse when both parties insisted on contesting specific seats, with Congress pushing for a larger share. This resulted in both parties announcing candidates for some of the same seats. Such friendly competitions risk splitting opposition votes, potentially benefiting BJP and JDU candidates. To address this crisis, Gehlot was dispatched to Patna. Nevertheless, some seats may still see friendly contests since the deadline for withdrawing nominations for the first phase of polling has already passed.

In the 2020 Assembly elections, the RJD contested 144 seats and secured 75, while Congress competed in 70 seats but won only 19. For the upcoming election, RJD has announced candidates for 143 seats, and Congress has named its candidates for 59. Mukesh Sahani's VIP may contest between 15 seats, while 30 seats may be allocated to CPIML, CPM, and CPI. For several constituencies, multiple allies have announced candidates, but some of these conflicts may be resolved following today's display of unity. Today marks the final day for withdrawing nominations for the second phase of polling scheduled for November 11, and several candidates may withdraw their nominations after the alliance partners reach consensus on certain seats.

Tejashwi stated that the NDA had not presented any agenda to the public and had merely copied his electoral promises. He also highlighted concerns about law and order in Bihar, claiming that at least 200 bullets are fired daily in the state. Responding to the NDA's "jungleraj" criticism, he declared, "I want to tell the people of Bihar. Tejashwi will never compromise on corruption and law and order. Even if Tejashwi's shadow commits a crime, punishment will follow."

Launching a strong counterattack on the Mahagathbandhan, the BJP claimed that Nitish Kumar abandoned the alliance due to RJD's corruption. "He (Tejashwi) vowed zero tolerance on corruption. Lalu Yadav has been convicted in four cases in the fodder scam. Tejashwi Yadav, you are an accused in an IPC 420 case. Your claim that you will not tolerate corruption needs to be countered," BJP veteran Ravi Shankar Prasad told the media.