NEW DELHI: The Mahagathbandhan on Thursday formally announced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav as its CM candidate for the 2025 Bihar Assembly. elections, while naming Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani as the deputy CM face.The announcement was made during a joint press conference of the alliance partners in Patna, ending weeks of speculation over the opposition bloc’s leadership choice.Senior Congress leader and election observer Ashok Gehlot said, “All of us sitting here have decided that in these elections, we support Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face.” He also confirmed that the Mahagathbandhan would contest the upcoming polls in complete unity, with Sahani as Tejashwi’s deputy if the alliance wins.
Tejashwi’s message to alliance and voters
Expressing gratitude to the alliance partners, Tejashwi Yadav said, “We, the people of Mahagathbandhan, do not just want to form the government or become the CM, but we want to make Bihar, that is why we are together… I thank all the members of the Mahagathbandhan for showing trust in me. I want to tell all of them that I will do everything possible to live up to your expectations and together we will throw the 20-year-old government in power.Tejashwi also thanked senior leaders of the Grand Alliance, including his parents and former chief ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, along with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for “bestowing faith in him.”
Gehlot targets BJP, calls for change in Bihar
At the press conference, Ashok Gehlot also took aim at the BJP-led NDA government, alleging that democratic institutions were being undermined. “It is natural to be concerned with the situation forming in the country as well as the state. If you criticize them, you will be jailed. So, what does the country want? It is looking at Bihar which is going to polls. The situation is very serious. Be it farmers, laborers or the common man, they are all troubled. People want change,” Gehlot said.He added that the Mahagathbandhan was facing “a force which is wearing a mask of democracy,” referring to the BJP. “The previous Mahagathbandhan was local and Tejashwi ji missed forming the government by just a few votes,” he said, asserting that this time the opposition bloc would go to the polls with greater coordination.
Gehlot asks BJP to name its CM face
Gehlot also challenged the BJP to declare its own chief ministerial face. “We want to ask Amit Shah ji and the president of their party who is the CM face of your alliance? This is our demand because we saw that the election was fought under the leadership of the then CM Eknath Shinde, but later we found out that someone else was chosen as the Chief Minister,” he remarked.
Congress calls Bihar polls ‘election of the people’
Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram said the upcoming assembly elections would be fought on people’s issues. “The people of Bihar have been waiting for the elections for a long time. This election is for the youth, farmers, women, and the poor. We want to assure the people that Bihar is ready. This Mahagathbandhan will fight unitedly to win the election,” Ram said.He also extended greetings for the upcoming Chhath Puja, adding that the INDIA bloc had been built through consistent public outreach. “The foundation stone of the INDIA alliance was laid when Rahul Gandhi, along with all the members of the alliance, did the Voter Adhikar Yatra for almost 17 months on the issues of SIR and others,” he said.
Alliance seeks to project unity before polls
Thursday’s press conference sought to project unity among the RJD, Congress, Left parties and other Mahagathbandhan partners, which have been holding multiple rounds of talks over seat-sharing and campaign strategy in the past week. With Tejashwi Yadav leading the campaign and Mukesh Sahani as his deputy pick, the opposition bloc aims to mount a consolidated challenge to the BJP-led NDA in Bihar, which has been in power for two decades.Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram says, “…The people of Bihar have been waiting for the elections for a long time. This election is for the youth, farmers, women, and the poor… We want to assure the people that Bihar is ready…This Mahagathbandhan will fight unitedly to win the election…”The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11 and results to be declared on November 14.
