The Opposition bloc, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and its partners in the Mahagathbandhan, has announced Tejashwi Yadav as its candidate for the chief ministerial post in the forthcoming assembly polls in Bihar, with Mukesh Sahani designated as the deputy chief ministerial nominee. The declaration came at a press conference in Patna on 23 October 2025, called by senior Indian National Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who stated that all alliance members had given their agreement. The poll-bound state will hold elections in two phases on 6 November and 11 November.
Tejashwi Yadav, the scion of a prominent political family and leader of the RJD, has served as deputy chief minister and leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly. The alliance frames his candidacy as a youth-centred push hoping to mobilise younger voters and backward caste communities. Mukesh Sahani, head of the Vikassheel Insaan Party, brings with him the support of the Nishad and Mallah communities, roughly 9.6 per cent of the state’s population according to the 2023 caste survey figures. His elevation as a deputy-chief-ministerial face signals an attempt by the Mahagathbandhan to broaden its base among extremely backward communities.
Despite the public show of unity, the alliance faces internal wrinkles. The INC’s Bihar unit had earlier pushed for representation of Dalit and Muslim leaders in top posts, and its delay in endorsing Tejashwi had fuelled speculation about intra-alliance strain. A report highlighted that 11 assembly seats might witness “friendly contests” between partners, pointing to unresolved seat-sharing arrangements. Gehlot’s involvement in these discussions was described as a damage-control exercise.
On the other side, the ruling National Democratic Alliance, with incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar at its helm, projects itself as decidedly better organised. Union minister Giriraj Singh recently affirmed that there is “no disagreement among NDA partners” over leadership or seat-sharing, and claimed that the NDA is operating with clarity of intent and stable alliances. The NDA partners are finalising the contest of 243 assembly seats in tandem, with the majority threshold at 122.
Observers note that the timing of the Mahagathbandhan’s announcement may have been forced by pressure from state and national leadership of the INC and RJD, who sought to prevent further leaks and speculation around leadership in the run-up to the polls. Some analysts view the move as an attempt to pre-empt the NDA’s narrative of being the only bloc with a clearly declared leadership. A veteran observer remarked that the alliance’s choice of Sahani was not simply symbolic but tactical, given his community representation and the VIP’s marginal but upward trending vote share in the last general election.
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