Bihar polls: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav declared as CM candidate of Grand Alliance
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot makes announcement at a joint press conference in Patna
The opposition INDIA bloc on Thursday declared RJD leader and former deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar Assembly elections.
Announcing the decusion at a press conference, which was attended by all coalition partners, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot asserted that the decision was backed by Rahul Gandhi and national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Gehlot also said Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni would be one of the deputy chief ministers if the INDIA bloc forms the government, along with "another leader from the backward classes" who would occupy the same post.
‘No rift in alliance,’ asserts Cong
Earlier, amid rumours of a rift in the alliance, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday (October 22) asserted that there are “friendly fights”, as it happens in all states, and that the “Mahagathbandhan remains firm against the BJP and the JD(U).”
Gehlot was sent to Patna on Wednesday to meet RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi in an apparent attempt by the Congress to cajole its alliance partner.
Missing photos
Interestingly, despite the Congress's assertion of unity in the alliance, the photographs of top INDIA Bloc leaders were missing from a banner at the venue of the press conference in Patna. The banner, the image of which has gone viral on social media, carried only a large photograph of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Read The Federal’s election stories from Bihar
Bihar polls: Simmering discontent within NDA as leaders hit campaign trail
How Nitish Kumar and past regimes let Bihar down economically Is the Grand Alliance losing momentum ahead of Bihar election?
Why NDA fielded only 5 Muslim faces in Bihar elections
Ground report: Prashant Kishor, a 'stranger' in his ancestral village
Grand Alliance battles chaos and crumbling unity ahead of Bihar polls
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Live Updates
- 23 Oct 2025 3:25 PM IST
Seat sharing is not an issue in Mahagathbandhan alliance: Bihar Congress chief
On Tejashwi Yadav to be Mahagathbandhan's CM face, state Congress chief Rajesh Ram says, "...We had told you that you would get the right answer at the right time. So, today we have announced that Tejashwi Yadav will be CM face. As far as the seat-sharing announcement is concerned, we released our list, RJD released their list, and everyone has released their list. So, seat sharing is not an issue..."
- 23 Oct 2025 3:24 PM IST
Mahagathbandhan is contesting on more seats than Bihar has: Ravi Shankar Prasad
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, "Today we saw that Rahul Gandhi's photo was missing from that press conference. Every party's symbol was there, but Rahul Gandhi's photo was missing. What kind of alliance is this? There are 243 seats, and the alliance is contesting on 255 seats. And there's one seat, Gaura Bauram Assembly .... Both the would-be CM and Deputy CM are contesting there. This is a very weak alliance... Today, it's important to tell the state that Lalu Prasad Yadav has been convicted in four cases in the fodder scam, spanning 32.5 years..."
- 23 Oct 2025 3:12 PM IST
Congress has knelt down before Lalu and Tejashwi: BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain
On Tejashwi Yadav to be Mahagathbandhan's CM face; Mukesh Sahani Deputy CM face, BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain says, "Mahagathbandhan has committed 'mahabhool'. Their M-Y equation does not stand for 'Muslim-Yadav' anymore but 'Mukesh Sahani-Tejashwi Yadav.' Their vote bank is upset with them now because they are not going to get anything. They want to instil fear of BJP in Muslim community and get their votes but they are not going to be scared...There are cracks in Mahagathbandhan, Congress has knelt down before Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Yadav. Congress was making tall claims but it has no existence anymore and fell to the feet of Lalu Yadav at the end and announced Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face. But it is the NDA which will win..."
- 23 Oct 2025 3:08 PM IST
Tejashwi Yadav is the future of Bihar; he has fulfilled earlier promises: RJD’s Nawal Kishore
On Tejashwi Yadav being selected as Mahagathbandhan's CM face, RJD national spokesperson Nawal Kishore says, "Everyone in Mahagathbandhan knew this...Now, Bihar has come to know that Tejashwi Yadav is the future of Bihar. This is not just about the change in Govt but also about the transformation of future of Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav has worked and fulfilled the promises he made earlier. People of Bihar have accepted him and they will give him a chance..."
- 23 Oct 2025 3:03 PM IST
NDA has no CM face; BJP has already deceived Nitish Kumar: Pawan Khera
Congress leader Pawan Khera says, "...Amit Shah said that the one under whose name they are contesting the election is the 'face' but CM will be decided by the MLAs. So, they have already deceived Nitish Kumar..."
- 23 Oct 2025 3:00 PM IST
'Tejashwi’s popularity will speed up NDA’s win': BJP’s Nishikant Dubey
On Tejashwi Yadav being announced as the Mahagathbandhan's CM face, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey says, "The more Tejaswi's face becomes popular among the people of Bihar, the faster the NDA alliance will move forward... In the last election, we promised the people of Bihar that a 4-lane highway would be constructed from Patna to Bhagalpur. Now, not only has a 4-lane road been built, but also a new 4-lane road parallel to the River Ganga is being constructed. NDA will get more seats this year in comparison to 2010, and we will form the government with a full majority."
- 23 Oct 2025 2:57 PM IST
'NDA has no CM face, we have named Tejashwi Yadav': Pawan Khera
On Tejashwi Yadav being announced as the CM face of Mahagathbandhan, Congress leader Pawan Khera says, "...NDA has not even announced a name, they are saying that MLAs will decide who their leader will be. So, tell me who is late. It is Bihar which is 20 years late on the path to development...Strategies have been decided on all seats...There is no confusion on our side."
- 23 Oct 2025 2:53 PM IST
'All is well with us': RJD's Mrityunjay Tiwari hits out at NDA’s silence on CM face
RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari says, "The 14 crore people of Bihar have already accepted Tejashwi Yadav as their CM. Mukesh Sahani has been announced as the Deputy CM face. This is the unity of Mahagathbandhan. On the other hand, NDA are not mustering the courage to announce Nitish Kumar as the CM face...All is well with us."
- 23 Oct 2025 2:50 PM IST
'We wanted more seats, but alliance is bigger': CPI(ML)'s Dipankar Bhattacharya
As he leaves after the Mahagathbandhan joint press conference, CPI(M-L)L leader Dipankar Bhattacharya says, "In a big state like Bihar, the Deputy CM face has been announced as per requirement...We had thought that we would contest a higher number of seats this time but the alliance grew bigger this time. So, we are contesting on a lesser number of seats, on 20 seats. But we will contest unitedly..."
- 23 Oct 2025 2:48 PM IST
'Time to end 20 years of useless rule': RJD MP Sanjay Yadav backs Tejashwi Yadav
At the Mahagathbandhan press conference, RJD MP Sanjay Yadav says, "The most important thing is that the 20-year-old useless government needs to be removed, and a young leader is going to become the Chief Minister of Bihar".
