PATNA: Lawmakers of the opposition 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar on Saturday unanimously elected Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD as the coalition's leader in the state legislature.
The decision was taken at a meeting hosted by Yadav here ahead of the five-day session of the legislature, beginning on Monday, during which all the newly elected members of the 243-strong assembly will be sworn in.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra said, "Tejashwi Yadav has been elected leader of the 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state legislature. Of course, he will also be leader of our party in the assembly."
Congress MLC Samir Kumar Singh, who is also a working president of the party's state unit, said "the decision on Tejashwi Yadav was unanimous. We have sufficient numbers, and he shall be the leader of the opposition as well".
The 'Mahagathbandhan' was decimated in the recent assembly polls, which saw the ruling NDA retaining power by bagging 202 seats.
"At the meeting, members of both Houses of the legislature voiced concern over the manner in which the elections were held. These were anything but free and fair. SIR, which was first held in Bihar, remains a questionable exercise. No wonder, there is so much of political friction in a state like West Bengal," Singh said.
The Congress leader added: "We will continue to raise our voice inside the House on all issues concerning the people. We will confront the BJP-led coalition if it tries to backtrack on promises made during the elections".