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
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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 2:45 PM IST
Tejashwi Yadav vows inclusive governance: 'Every Bihari will be CM with Me'
“Tejashwi will not run the Bihar government alone; rather, the entire state will work together to run it. When Tejashwi becomes Chief Minister, every person of Bihar will, in a sense, become Chief Minister along with him…” says RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s CM candidate, Tejashwi Yadav.
- 23 Oct 2025 2:22 PM IST
Mukesh Sahani is Mahagathbandhan's Deputy CM face: Tejashwi
RJD leader and CM face of Mahagathbandhan, Tejashwi Yadav, says Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani has been announced as the Deputy CM face of the Grand Alliance. He was speaking to reporters after the press conference.
"We have vision, reason and blueprint. We have an undying passion. We have a new mindset - one that brings everyone together. We have to build a new Bihar. Amit Shah and the BJP did not make it clear who would be the CM face of the NDA. They should make it clear,” he said.
“People of Bihar want change and want to build a new and developed Bihar...Mukesh Sahani has been announced (as the Deputy CM face), we will include others from different communities too as the Deputy CM. We will tell you when the time comes,” added Tejashwi.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:57 PM IST
Tejashwi was always CM pick, says Ashok Gehlot
Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister says that Tejashwi Yadav’s name was always the top choice for the CM candidate of the grand alliance, adding Rahul Gandhi also had his name in mind.
“Naturally, it was going to be Tejashwi's name...Rahul Gandhi and everyone else had his name on their minds...that Tejashwi Yadav will be our CM face,” he added.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:48 PM IST
Tejashwi Yadav pledges Govt job for every family in Bihar
“I would like to say this confidently that not 5 years, if the people of Bihar give us 20 months, Tejashwi and our government will complete in 20 months what these people did not do in 20 years. We have pledged that there will be no family without a government job,” says Tejashei Yadav.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:43 PM IST
'This is Nitish Kumar's last election,' says Tejashwi Yadav
“What we said is happening. Some JD(U) leaders are exploiting Nitish Kumar’s ill health. They are working for the BJP and want to finish the JD(U). Rest assured, this is Nitish Kumar’s last election. Amit Shah has made it clear. I always wanted Bihar to become a prosperous state. But even after the BJP shared power in Bihar for 20 years and ruled at the Centre for 11 years, Bihar is still lagging,” says Tejashei Yadav.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:36 PM IST
Tejashwi asks Amit Shah why he avoids naming Nitish as CM face
“ I want to ask Amit Shah that you are saying such things now, but in the run-up to the last Assembly elections, you never said such things. For the last 20 years, when it comes to the NDA government in Bihar, you have always declared who will be the CM candidate. Why are you not declaring Nitish Kumar as the CM candidate for the NDA?” says Tejashei Yadav.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:33 PM IST
Tejashwi vows to oust 'corrupt' double-engine Bihar government
“I thank the Grand Alliance for keeping faith in me. I want to tell them that I will not let them down. Together we will uproot the corrupt double engine government in Bihar. NDA never officially declared their CM candidate. From the beginning we have been saying that BJP will not make NItish Kumar the CM again. Amit Shah has repeatedly said that the legislative party will decide choose the CM,” says Tejashei Yadav.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:25 PM IST
Tejashwi Yadav named Mahagathbandhan's CM face for Bihar
Former Bihar Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav announced as Mahagathbandhan's Chief Minister face for the Bihar Assembly elections.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:21 PM IST
NDA government threatening democracy, says Ashok Gehlot
“The condition of the country and the state justifies concern about it justified. The way the NDA government is functioning has put democracy under threat. People are concerned. Nobody knows in which direction the country is heading,” says senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot.
“If you criticise, you will go to jail whether you are a journalist or an activist. This is the current situation in the country. It is our responsibility to be aware of the aspirations of the country. The entire country is looking at Bihar. Whether it is unemployment or other local issues, the situation in Bihar has become a cause of concern,” he added.
- 23 Oct 2025 12:14 PM IST
Bihar youth, women ready to give reply to ruling party: Dipankar Bhattacharya
“Bihar has been waiting for this elections. The youth who get beaten with batons every day, have been waiting for this elections. They will give a fitting reply to this at the polling booths. Women are getting trapped in debt. The elections is for fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Bihar. We want to assure on behalf of the Grand Alliance, that Bihar is ready for change and the Grand Alliance will fulfil the dream of change,” CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.
