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NEW DELHI: The Mahagathbandhan connected Thursday announced Tejashwi Yadav arsenic its main ministerial campaigner and Mukesh Sahani arsenic the lawman CM look up of the Bihar assembly elections. While Tejashwi’s candidature was wide expected, Sahani’s unexpected emergence - from a one-time NDA state often dismissed by rivals to a cardinal powerfulness centre wrong the confederation has go the defining development, signalling a displacement successful the coalition’s caste arithmetic and enactment dynamics.Behind the amusement of unity, however, tensions simmer. As Sahani celebrates his governmental revival, Congress appears to beryllium the uneasy spouse successful this caller equation. Grassroots dissatisfaction implicit summons distribution, coupled with its declining power successful seat-sharing talks, raises questions astir whether the expansive aged enactment is losing crushed wrong Bihar’s absorption bloc.
Tejashwi formally declared CM face, Sahani named his deputy
The Mahagathbandhan formally announced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) person and erstwhile lawman main curate Tejashwi Yadav arsenic its main ministerial look for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
Alongside, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) main Mukesh Sahani was declared the alliance’s lawman main ministerial candidate.The announcement, made during a associated property league of confederation partners successful Patna, ended weeks of speculation implicit enactment and marked a caller signifier of coordination wrong the absorption bloc.Senior Congress person and predetermination perceiver Ashok Gehlot said, “All of america sitting present person decided that successful these elections, we enactment Tejashwi Yadav arsenic the CM face.”
He confirmed that the Mahagathbandhan would contention the upcoming polls successful implicit unity, adding that Sahani would service arsenic Tejashwi’s lawman if the confederation comes to power.
Mukesh Sahani: From governmental exile to lawman CM face
Mukesh Sahani’s caller elevation marks a singular governmental comeback. The Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) had primitively been portion of the Mahagathbandhan, but disagreements implicit seat-sharing—stemming from the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s reluctance to prioritise smaller allies—led Sahani to exit the coalition.
He aboriginal joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and was allotted 11 seats successful the 2020 Bihar elections.
Although Sahani mislaid his ain contest, his enactment managed to triumph 4 seats.Sahani was subsequently elected to the Bihar Legislative Council, albeit for a shorter word of 1 and a fractional years, which expired successful July 2022.Once an NDA ally, Sahani faced governmental isolation aft his fallout with the BJP. His determination to contention against the BJP successful some the Bihar Legislative Council and Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections further marginalized him, with respective VIP MLAs defecting to the BJP successful 2022.
In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections, Sahani announced plans to tract 160 candidates to “oust the incumbent BJP government,” and successful Bihar, helium fielded 55 candidates against his erstwhile ally—but nary won.
Following these setbacks, a BJP MLA suggested that Sahani’s governmental section successful Bihar was over, hinting astatine his removal arsenic curate and adjacent a imaginable interior coup wrong the VIP. Sahani besides defied NDA seat-sharing arrangements successful the Bihar Legislative Council elections, fielding 7 candidates against the BJP erstwhile again.In 2025, however, Sahani has staged a governmental revival, present named the lawman main ministerial campaigner of the absorption bloc. Speaking to reporters successful Patna up of the announcement, helium appeared confident: “Why would I person a occupation with anything? Can't you tolerate truthful overmuch happiness connected my face? Mahagathbandhan is moving guardant precise strongly.”His elevation seems a calculated strategy by the Mahagathbandhan to consolidate Nishad (fishermen) votes and entreaty to smaller caste groups that person drifted distant from the large alliances.
The enactment basal for the Vikassheel Insaan Party consists chiefly of the Nishad, Nonia, Bind, Beldar community, which comprises 20 sub-castes of fisherman and boatmen. It besides signals societal inclusivity — a paper the RJD-led bloc has traditionally utilized efficaciously successful Bihar’s caste-driven politics.
Congress connected shaky ground?
While the confederation celebrated unity connected stage, discontent brewed wrong the Congress. In caller weeks, respective enactment workers person expressed choler implicit the summons organisation process, alleging bias and manipulation by elder leaders successful complaint of Bihar affairs.Congress idiosyncratic Munna Shahi told ANI, “Those whom
Rahul Gandhi
had entrusted and sent present are from the five-star edifice culture, and they don't similar to beryllium brought down to mediocre ashrams here... We person lone 1 demand, 'ticket chor, gaddi chod'... The enactment process has mislaid its basis. Only oculus lavation remains now.”After the Congress CEC gathering connected Bihar polls, different idiosyncratic said, “It was said that those radical who volition beryllium connected the screening committee, those who volition person their online exertion volition beryllium fixed tickets.
But a fewer leaders similar Krishna Allavaru and Rajesh Ram are making women enactment hard and spell from doorway to doorway but cheating them astatine the end. The committedness made by Rahul Gandhi, to honour the younker and women is being breached by Krishna Allavaru.
We, the Congress workers, volition not basal it. Bihar volition not judge it.”Interestingly, connected Thursday elevating Congress besides replaced Allavaru arsenic Youth Congress main and brought successful Manish Sharma.The interior tensions successful the caller weeks by section leaders constituent to a widening spread betwixt the Congress precocious bid and its authorities unit. This recurring contented has wounded the party’s show successful aggregate states.
The weakest link?
The Mahagathbandhan’s recalibrated enactment matrix leaves the Congress successful an uncomfortable spot. With the RJD holding the main ministerial assertion and the VIP present rewarded with the lawman slot, Congress finds itself without a chiseled bargaining chip.
Its show successful the 2020 polls, wherever it contested 70 seats but won lone 19, has weakened its quality to negotiate.The existent configuration suggests a much RJD-centric alliance, with Tejashwi and Sahani symbolising the blend of bequest and caller societal representation, portion Congress remains peripheral.The associated manifesto of the Mahagathbandhan is acceptable to beryllium released connected October 28, aft Chhath Puja, with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expected to articulation the campaign.
However, unless it manages to code interior dissent and task a wide message, Congress could hazard further erosion successful Bihar’s evolving governmental narrative.The Bihar assembly elections volition beryllium held successful 2 phases connected November 6 and 11, with results scheduled for November 14. The Mahagathbandhan — comprising RJD, Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI-ML, and Mukesh Sahani’s VIP — faces the NDA confederation led by BJP and JD(U), on with the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and HAM(S).
