RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was on Thursday officially declared the chief ministerial candidate of the opposition Mahagathbandhan for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. “We have decided to contest the elections with Tejashwi Yadav as our CM face,” senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot announced. Meanwhile, Mukesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has been named the Deputy Chief Minister candidate if the alliance comes to power.
Interestingly, this is one of the rare occasions when the name of a Deputy CM has been announced in advance. All seven parties of the Mahagathbandhan, including the Congress and Left parties, endorsed the decision, presenting a united front at the press conference amid an ongoing tussle over seat allocation.
Gehlot arrived in Patna on October 22 to mediate between alliance partners, meeting RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav to defuse tensions within the alliance — primarily between the RJD and Congress, the two major constituents.
Meanwhile, Tejashwi questioned the NDA’s silence over its leadership, asking why there had been no joint press conference between the BJP and JD(U). Responding to the ruling alliance’s “jungle raj” allegations, he said, “I want to tell people that Tejashwi will not compromise on corruption or law and order. I also want to assure all Mahagathbandhan parties that we will build a new Bihar.”
The ruling BJP–JD(U) NDA has not yet officially said who will be its chief ministerial face.
Endorsing Tejashwi’s candidature for the top post, other leaders from the INDIA bloc also questioned the NDA’s lack of clarity. “The NDA has not even announced a name. They are saying MLAs will decide who their leader will be. So tell me, who is late? It’s Bihar that has been kept 20 years behind on the path of development. Strategies have been decided for all seats; there is no confusion on our side,” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said.
BJP leaders have so far refrained from officially projecting incumbent CM—JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar—as the NDA’s chief ministerial face, maintaining that the decision will be taken by elected MLAs after the polls. Political observers believe the hesitation stems from multiple factors — the BJP’s desire to keep strategic flexibility, internal ambitions to expand its influence in Bihar, and concerns over Nitish’s waning popularity and health. By not committing publicly, the BJP retains leverage within the alliance and avoids alienating its cadre, some of whom feel the party should assert its own leadership in the state. The ambiguity also keeps post-poll options open.
