RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was on Thursday announced as the Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial face for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections next month in a key presser by the opposition alliance after days of speculation.
Vikasheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani has been announced as the deputy chief ministerial candidate of the alliance. The announcement comes after weeks of wrangling in the Mahagathbandhan on the seat sharing and the declaring of candidates by the partner parties which led to friendly fight on a few seats between the Congress and the RJD.
"After talks with all senior leaders, the alliance has decided that Tejashwi Yadav will be the CM face of Mahagathbandhan in the upcoming Bihar polls. He has a long future ahead," senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who was rushed to Patna as a troubleshooter amid fissures in the Mahagathbandhan, said.
Tejashwi Yadav has previously served as the deputy chief minister of Bihar for two terms in Nitish Kumar's government.
“We, the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan, are not here merely to form a government or claim positions,” Tejashwi said. “We want to work for Bihar and end the NDA’s double-engine government, one engine driven by corruption and the other by crime.”
Why NDA has not named CM candidate: Tejashwi questions
Speaking at the presser, Tejashwi targeted the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over its chief ministerial face, claiming they will not make Nitish Kumar the CM.
"We have held a joint press conference, while the NDA has not conducted even one. There has been no official announcement from them regarding their chief ministerial candidate. It is clear that injustice is being done to Nitish Kumar. We have maintained from the very beginning that the BJP has no intention of making him the Chief Minister," he said.
Mukesh Sahani picked as deputy CM candidate
Gehlot announced that along with Mukesh Sahani, who has significant influence within the Nishad community, another leader from a backward class would be appointed deputy chief minister if the INDIA bloc came to power in Bihar. The state will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results to be declared on November 14.
Tejashwi Yadav, who will contest from his traditional Raghopur constituency, expressed gratitude to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for endorsing him as the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate.
Until now, the Congress had avoided formally projecting Tejashwi as the chief ministerial face, despite the evident warmth between him and Rahul Gandhi during the Voter Adhikar Yatra.
Assembly elections in Bihar will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes will be held on November 14.
