RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav addresses INDIA bloc press conference, in Patna. Photo: PTI
Bihar polls: After naming Tejashwi as CM face, Mahagathbandhan to release CMP soon
Bihar's Grand Alliance resolves overlaps in key seats; joint CMP and manifesto expected on October 28
As the deadline for withdrawing nominations for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly polls ended on Wednesday, the Congress withdrew its candidate from the Warsaliganj seat, paving the way for the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Anita Devi to take on the BJP’s Aruna Devi.
In the Babubarhi constituency, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) also pulled out its candidate, leaving a straight contest between the RJD’s Arun Singh and JD(U)’s Mina Kumari. With its nomination papers rejected in Sugauli and its withdrawal in Babubarhi, the VIP is now officially contesting only 12 seats.
In Kusheshwar Asthan, the party has extended support to independent candidate Ganesh Bharti Sada.
Earlier today, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, who announced that he would not contest the elections himself, was declared the Deputy Chief Minister face of the Grand Alliance. After the withdrawal process, the Grand Alliance still faces overlaps in 12 constituencies, with multiple alliance partners fielding their own candidates.
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The RJD and Congress both have candidates in Kahalgaon, Narkatiaganj, Sikandar, Sultanganj (polling on November 11, Phase 2) and Vaishali (polling on November 6, Phase 1). Similarly, the Congress and CPI have both fielded candidates in Kargahar (Phase 2), Raja Pakar, Bachhwara, and Bihar Sharif (Phase 1).
In Beldaur, the Congress and the newly joined Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) are both in the fray, while VIP and RJD have overlapping candidates in Gaura Bauram and Chainpur constituencies. However, in Gaura Bauram, the RJD has officially endorsed VIP’s Santosh Sahani, brother of Mukesh Sahani, as the Alliance’s common candidate.
CPI-ML leader Dipankar Bhattacharya said earlier that as polling nears, the Grand Alliance will likely issue clarifications in overlapping seats, with one ally formally endorsing another to avoid confusion and present a united front.
Common Minumum Programme soon
The Grand Alliance plans to release its Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and joint manifesto in Patna on October 28, coinciding with the final day of the Chhath festival.
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Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader and the Chief Ministerial face of the alliance, is expected to launch the manifesto alongside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Sources said the alliance is also finalising a joint campaign plan for Rahul and Tejashwi, aimed at consolidating opposition messaging across constituencies ahead of the November 6 and November 11 polling phases.