Bihar polls: Mahagathbandhan finally declares Tejashwi Yadav as CM face

Patna, Oct 23 (IANS) After weeks of intense infighting and uncertainty, the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) in Bihar has finally declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial face for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election.

The name of Tejashwi Yadav as a Chief Ministerial face was declared during the joint press conference of the alliance in Hotel Maurya, Patna.

The announcement was made by former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the presence of leaders of the alliance constituent partners.

“Tejashwi Yadav is young and a man of commitment. He has fulfilled all the commitments he had promised. He has a long career. Hence, we have decided to contest this election under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav. He will be our Chief Ministerial face,” Gahlot said.

Gehlot also announced the name of Mukesh Sahani as the face for the Deputy Chief Minister's post.

The decision comes after a prolonged dispute among the constituent partners -- particularly between the RJD and the Congress -- over seat-sharing arrangements and the CM face.

According to the final formula, the RJD will contest 143 seats, maintaining its strong presence on the ground, especially among the Muslim-Yadav (MY) voter base.

The Grand Alliance had faced heavy criticism for failing to resolve internal differences even as the nomination deadlines for the second phase approached.

The primary deadlock arose due to the Congress party’s demand to contest 70 seats, the same number it contested in the 2020 Assembly elections -- a performance year in which it won only 19 seats, registering a strike rate of just 27 per cent.

Sources said that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was unwilling to concede that many seats this time, citing the Congress’ poor past performance.

The situation reached a breaking point earlier this week, prompting the Congress high command to intervene.

The party dispatched Ashok Gehlot, former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Bihar election in-charge, to Patna to mediate between the top leadership of both parties.

Gehlot met Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav at the RJD chief’s residence on Wednesday.

Following the meeting, Gehlot announced that all issues had been resolved and that the alliance would fight the Bihar elections together.

“All is well within the Grand Alliance. We will fight this election together with full strength and unity. We have resolved the issues of friendly fights on some seats,” Gehlot told reporters after the meeting.

The other major point of contention was over the chief ministerial candidate.

While the RJD and other allies, such as CPI-ML, CPI, CPI(M), and VIP, had already endorsed Tejashwi Yadav as the alliance’s CM face, the Congress had maintained that the leadership question should be decided after the election results.

However, after high-level consultations, the Grand Alliance partners have now formally projected Tejashwi Yadav as their Chief Ministerial candidate.

Political analysts view this move as a significant boost for the Grand Alliance’s campaign, especially among youth and backward caste voters.

The declaration is also seen as an attempt to counter the NDA’s unified front under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

With the alliance’s internal disputes now resolved, all eyes are on how effectively the Grand Alliance can take its united campaign to the people of Bihar in the coming weeks.

--IANS

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