Finance
After weeks of intense infighting and uncertainty, Bihar’s Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) has finally announced RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the Bihar Assembly election.
Tejashwi Yadav’s name was announced as the alliance’s Chief Ministerial face during a joint news conference in Patna at Hotel Maurya.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot made the statement in front of representatives from the alliance’s constituent members.
“Tejashwi Yadav is young and a man of commitment. He has fulfilled all the commitments he had promised. He has a long career. Hence, we have decided to contest this election under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav. He will be our Chief Ministerial face,” Gahlot said.
Gehlot also named Mukesh Sahani as the face of the Deputy Chief Minister’s job.
The decision comes after a lengthy argument among the component partners, mainly between the RJD and the Congress, regarding seat-sharing arrangements and the CM’s position.
According to the final formula, the RJD will compete 143 seats, retaining its significant representation on the ground, particularly among Muslim-Yadav (MY) supporters.
The Grand Alliance has come under fire for failing to address internal conflicts as the nomination deadlines for the second round approached.
The primary dispute emerged owing to the Congress party’s wish to compete for 70 seats, the same number it contested in the 2020 Assembly elections — a performance year in which it won only 19 seats, registering a strike rate of just 27 per cent.
According to sources, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was unwilling to give so many seats this time, noting the Congress’ poor prior performance.
The situation reached a breaking point earlier this week, leading the Congress’s top leadership to intercede.
The party sent Ashok Gehlot, former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Bihar election in-charge, to Patna to mediate between the top leaders of both parties.
Gehlot met with Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav at the RJD chief’s residence on Wednesday.
Following the meeting, Gehlot said that all disagreements had been overcome and that the alliance would contest the Bihar elections jointly.
“All is well within the Grand Alliance. We will fight this election together with full strength and unity. We have resolved the issues of friendly fights on some seats,” Gehlot told reporters after the meeting.
The other major point of contention was over the chief ministerial candidate.
While the RJD and other allies, including the CPI-ML, CPI, CPI(M), and VIP, had previously approved Tejashwi Yadav as the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate, the Congress had insisted that the leadership issue be determined after the election results.
However, following high-level deliberations, the Grand Alliance partners have publicly announced Tejashwi Yadav as their Chief Ministerial candidate.
Political observers believe that this move will significantly benefit the Grand Alliance’s campaign, particularly among youth and backward caste voters.
The remark is also interpreted as an attempt to challenge the NDA’s united front behind Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
With the alliance’s internal disputes now resolved, all eyes are on how effectively the Grand Alliance can take its united campaign to the people of Bihar in the coming weeks.
Source: IANS
