Bihar Polls: Tejashwi Yadav Likely to Be Announced as Opposition’s CM Candidate Today

As Bihar heads closer to the assembly elections, the opposition Mahagathbandhan is expected to formally announce Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate later today. The announcement is likely to be made during a joint press conference of alliance partners in Patna.

Tejashwi Yadav, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, has previously held the post of Deputy Chief Minister and remains the face of the RJD’s campaign against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The development comes a day after senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot arrived in Patna on the direction of the party’s high command to ease internal tensions within the Mahagathbandhan. Gehlot met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav at their residence to address reports of disagreements among alliance members over the issue of a “friendly fight” on a few assembly seats.

Following the meeting, Gehlot, who has been appointed as the Congress’s Senior Election Observer for Bihar, asserted that the INDIA bloc in the state remains “fully united.” He confirmed that a joint press conference would be held on October 23 to demonstrate the alliance’s strength and counter speculation of disunity.

“A very positive meeting took place with Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. The INDIA alliance in Bihar is united and contesting the elections with full strength. Everything will be clarified in the Mahagathbandhan’s press conference,” Gehlot said.

Addressing the issue of multiple nominations filed by alliance partners, Gehlot downplayed the matter, saying that “friendly fights” in a handful of constituencies were not unusual. “In 243 seats, due to local factors, a situation like a friendly fight can arise in 5-7 seats. This is not a major issue, but the BJP tried to portray it as a rift. In reality, there is no problem within the alliance,” he added.

Reports indicate that around a dozen constituencies have witnessed nominations from more than one Mahagathbandhan partner. However, alliance leaders have maintained that these are isolated cases and will not affect the bloc’s overall unity or strategy.

The NDA, on the other hand, has finalized its seat-sharing formula without any visible discord among its partners, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

The Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by the RJD, comprises the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani. Meanwhile, political strategist Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj has also announced its intention to contest all 243 seats in the upcoming polls.

Bihar will vote in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with results scheduled to be declared on November 14.

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