"Won't Contest Polls Without Chief Minister Face": Tejashwi Yadav

Patna:

Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal emphasized to NDTV today that the Grand Alliance will definitely project a Chief Ministerial candidate for the Bihar assembly election. During an exclusive interview while conducting his supplementary Adhikar Yatra, he remarked, "Unlike the BJP, we have plenty of potential faces. We will certainly not enter the elections without naming a Chief Ministerial candidate," referencing areas that weren't covered in the main Opposition march that finished two weeks ago.

While Mr. Yadav has openly supported Congress's Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the Opposition INDIA bloc, Gandhi hasn't reciprocated by endorsing Yadav as the Grand Alliance's Chief Ministerial nominee for Bihar, despite Yadav's endorsement causing some discomfort among certain leaders.

When questioned about this matter, Mr. Yadav remained calm, stating, "Just be patient. Ultimately, the people will determine who becomes Chief Minister. However, having a particular Chief Minister or government isn't the primary focus. Our main objective is to develop Bihar."

"A delay of five or ten days makes no significant difference," he added.

He indicated that once seat-sharing arrangements are finalized, the Chief Ministerial candidate issue would also be addressed, reiterating that they would not contest without naming a face for the top position.

During the opposition yatra's penultimate day on August 31, Mr. Yadav had strongly suggested that he would be the alliance's Chief Ministerial candidate.

"This administration merely imitates. Bihar needs an authentic CM, not a duplicate," he declared at an Ara rally, targeting Mr. Kumar.

Addressing the audience, he questioned, "Isn't this government just copying? Tejashwi leads while the government follows. Do you prefer a duplicate CM or an authentic one?"

While the Congress, being a junior alliance partner, likely won't oppose Mr. Yadav as the Chief Ministerial candidate, Rahul Gandhi avoided directly answering when asked about it.

"All INDIA bloc partners are collaborating with mutual respect, without tension. We'll contest the elections together and achieve positive results," Gandhi told reporters, with Mr. Yadav standing beside him.