New Delhi: After weeks of uncertainty over seat sharing arrangements among its constituents, the opposition grand alliance – mahagathbandhan – today (October 23) announced Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections in a move that shows a united front ahead of the polls. Also, in a major outreach to the extremely backward classes (EBC) over which sitting chief minister Nitish Kumar holds sway, the alliance has also named Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani as its deputy chief ministerial face. 

The announcement was made at a joint press conference of the alliance members and was attended by top leaders of the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation [CPI(ML)], Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], Communist Party of India (CPI), Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and Indian Inclusive Party (IIP).

“After discussions with all senior leaders, we have decided that Tejashwi Yadav will be the CM face of the mahagathbandhan in upcoming Bihar polls," said senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

“He is a young leader and has a long future ahead. In my experience those who have a long future ahead, the public stands with them. Along with this, our OBC leader Mukesh Sahani who has reached here after a long struggle on his own...we have decided to make him the deputy chief ministerial face. Alliance members from other communities will also be made deputies," Gehlot added.

The choice of Sahani

The move to make Sahani as the alliance’s deputy chief ministerial face is aimed at eroding Nitish’s traditional base over the EBCs, over which the incumbent chief minister has kept consistent policy focus over his 20-year-long term including through the creation of the category itself and their symbolic representation.

Sahani who had dramatically walked out of the RJD-Congress alliance at a joint press conference in the run-up to the 2020 Bihar assembly polls following a failure to reach a consensus on seat-sharing, immediately went to the National Democratic Alliance, which gave the VIP 11 seats to contest. The VIP won four but Sahani himself lost. In 2022 Sahani was removed from the state cabinet just days after three of the VIP’s MLAs defected to the BJP. Sahani has positioned himself as the “son of a Mallah” and projected himself as the sole leader of the boatmen community which forms around 4.5% of the state’s 30% EBC population.

The community is particularly influential in the Mithila and Tirhut regions, comprising Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, and Madhubani.

Moments after he was formally announced as the alliance’s chief ministerial face, Tejashwi hit out at the NDA and alleged that injustice is being done to chief minister Nitish Kumar who is yet to be announced as the alliance’s face.

"Ashok Gehlot ji has rightly said that we have done a joint press conference and prior to this we have all sat together also several times. But the injustice that is happening with Nitish Kumar...no press conferences, and nor has there been any official confirmation of him being the chief ministerial face,” he said.

“We have been saying from the beginning that the NDA will not be made the chief minister. This has been confirmed by none other than Union home minister Amit Shah himself, not once, but several times, that the legislature party will decide the chief minister.”

The announcement on Thursday comes a day after Gehlot travelled to Patna and met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on October 22 in a bid to diffuse tensions and said that the alliance is “united.”

Friendly fights

While the press conference comes on the last day of withdrawal of nominations for the second phase, there was no clarity about the friendly fights that the alliance members are facing on at least eight seats.

The constituents of the mahagathbandhan in Bihar have already issued separate lists without formally announcing any seat sharing deal. The RJD has released its list of 143 candidates, while the Congress has declared names for 61 seats. The Left parties including the CPI(ML), CPI(M), and CPI have announced 30 candidates while Mukesh Sahni’s VIP has announced 15 candidates.

CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya who was present at the press conference said that candidates can withdraw their names as the election goes forward.

"Withdrawal of names is going on today as well. There are 243 seats and we will fight unitedly in Bihar. As a student of statistics I can say that if 1-2% goes here or there it does not make a difference,” he said.

“Focus on 95% and besides elections are dynamic, as the elections go ahead one or two candidates withdrawing is not a big matter. So with full unity we will change the government in Bihar through this election.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Gehlot after meeting Lalu and Tejashwi had said that “friendly fights” are not a concern.

“In 243 seats, due to local leaders and equations, a situation like a friendly fight sometimes arises on 5-7 seats. This is a very small number, but a campaign was run against the mahagathbandhan in the media over it, whereas in reality, there is no problem at all,” he said on Wednesday.

The Congress and the RJD are facing each other in four seats, including, Narkatiaganj, Vaishali, Sultanganj and Kahalgaon. 

In addition, the Congress is facing the CPI in another four seats including Bacchwara, Raja Pakar, Biharsharif and Kargahar. 

Of these, Vaishali, Raja Pakar, Bachhwara and Biharsharif will go to the polls in the first phase on November 6 and the date for withdrawal of nominations was on October 20 and has passed.

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