Rahil Nora Chopra
BIHAR POLLS: TEJASHWI’S CM NOMINATION QUELLS INDIA BLOC RUMBLES
The ongoing confusion in the Mahagathbandhan alliance appear to have settled down after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav was declared as the chief ministerial face of the India Bloc alliance in Bihar on October 23, 2025. Besides him, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani was declared as the deputy CM face of the alliance. The announcement was made in Patna by All India Congress Committee (AICC) senior observer for Bihar Assembly Polls Ashok Gehlot, in the presence of Tejashwi Yadav and other leaders of the alliance. “One more deputy CM faced would be announced later,” said Gehlot. Addressing the press meet, Tejashwi Yadav said that the Mahagathbandhan’s aim is to not just form the government but to rebuild Bihar. The CM candidate also slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for not declaring Nitish Kumar as the NDA’s CM candidate. Under Tejashwi’s leadership, the alliance plans to campaign with the slogan, “Chalo Bihar… Badle Bihar.” As per the arrangement agreed so far, the RJD is contesting on 143 seats and Congress on 61 seats but both parties are headed for a friendly fight in at least 5 constituencies. While VIP is contesting on 15 seats, the three Left parties on 33 and Indian Inclusive Party on one seat. The friendly fights among Mahagathbandhan allies in seats such as Lalganj, Narkatiaganj, Sultanganj, Vaishali, Kahalgaon, Bachhwara, Kargahar, Biharsharif and Rajapakar has also caused discontent within the Congress ranks over the party’s decision to give tickets to former BJP associates while overlooking party loyalists.
THACKERAYS’ BONHOMIE SHAPES MAHARASHTRA MUNICIPAL POLLS MOOD
A prominent shift is occurring in Maharashtra’s political landscape. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray on Thursday celebrated Bhau Beej (Bhai Dooj) together. This led to the fifth meeting between the cousins this month. Photos of the traditional tilak ceremony performed by Jaywanti Thackeray Deshpande circulated on social media, highlighting the growing bonhomie between the two cousins, who have had a history of strained ties both personally and politically. The meetings have fuelled speculation of a Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance. Whereas the leaders from both parties say their coming together ahead of the rural and urban local body elections, expected to be held early next year, is now only a formality. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has sent out a clear message to its MVA partners that it will rely on the MNS’s support in local body polls, particularly in Mumbai and Thane. If the Congress and NCP (SP) want to contest municipal elections in alliance with Uddhav’s party, they will have to accept the alliance with Raj Thackeray. However, the resistance within the Congress to joining hands with the Thackeray cousins for the BMC polls is growing more strident. In the latest instance, former Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap declared that the party should contest the polls alone not only in Mumbai but in other cities as well.
TEJASHWI PROMISES MAJOR SOPS FOR WOMEN AHEAD OF BIHAR POLLS
In an apparent bid to woo women voters ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections 2025, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has announced that if the INDIA bloc forms the government in Bihar, all contractual workers in state departments and around 2 lakh ‘Jeevika Didi’ community mobilisers will be made permanent. Yadav further promised that the community mobilisers would receive a monthly salary of Rs 30,000 if the opposition alliance wins the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Tejashwi Yadav also took a dig at the double-engine government for providing Rs 10,000 under the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana as the assembly elections approach, calling it a “bribe.” He also stated that Jeevika Didis would receive an additional allowance of Rs 2,000 and insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh for all their cadres. The announcement came as a direct challenge to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s Jeevika Didi initiative, signalling a key plank of the RJD’s upcoming election campaign in Bihar. The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls on November 6 and 11 respectively and counting of votes will take place on November 14.
OVERLOOKED IN BIHAR, JMM MIFFED WITH MAHAGATHBANDHAN ALLIES
The cracks within the INDIA bloc over seat-sharing in Bihar are being experienced in Jharkhand, with the RJD and JMM attacking each other over the JMM not being given any tickets in the alliance and deciding to stay out of the Assembly polls. The JMM has accused its INDIA bloc partners — the RJD and the Congress — of a political conspiracy that has led to it being deprived from seats as part of the Mahagathbandhan coalition in Bihar. Senior JMM leader Sudivya Kumar said his party will review the alliance in Jharkhand with the Congress and RJD, and give a befitting reply to the snub. INDIA bloc sources, however, do not give much credence to the review threat, saying that JMM just wants to send a message and prepare ground for future negotiations. At maximum, they said, JMM could act pricey in the next Rajya Sabha elections by not giving a seat to Congress by citing Bihar experience.
DELHI CM REKHA GUPTA SLAMMED FOR SEVERE DIWALI POLLUTION SPIKE
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said air pollution in the city on Diwali night was less this year as compared to the previous year. Her assertion came after monitoring stations showed that Delhi’s air pollution hit a four-year high on Diwali, with particulate matter 2.5 peaking at 675. In this context, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed the CM Gupta-led BJP government for its failure to stop pollution in the city. The BJP, however, in response, blamed the citizens for bursting crackers and cited stubble burning from nearby states for the thick blanket of smog hovering over the national capital. Moreover, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav has also blamed the Rekha Gupta government for the worsening air quality in the Capital, alleging a complete failure to control pollution levels. (IPA)
Bihar BJP Fields Popular Singer Maithili Thakur In Huge Campaign 