PATNA: The opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) on Thursday named RJD leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate for the November's assembly elections in Bihar.
Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot made the announcement at a joint press conference in Patna, where he also named Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani as the coalition’s deputy chief ministerial nominee.
The announcement came amid controversy after photographs of top INDIA bloc leaders were missing from a banner at the Mahagathbandhan’s joint press conference. The banner, images of which went viral on social media, featured only a large photograph of Tejashwi.
Addressing the press conference along with the top-notch leaders of INDIA bloc, Tejashwi Yadav, CPI-ML (Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and Vikassheel Insaan Party (CIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, Gehlot said that the Opposition alliance decided to contest the assembly election with full force and vigour and Tejashwi would be the opposition’s chief ministerial face.
Taking a jibe at ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Gehlot said, “The NDA has been in power in Bihar for almost two decades, but this is for the first time there is uncertainty about who will head the government if they win. Who is your CM face?”
The suspense over INDIA bloc’s CM face ended with today’s announcement. Tejashwi later said that the media was very much impatient about the chief ministerial face of the opposition alliance.
“Our concern is not to get the post of chief minister but to build a new Bihar,” he remarked while thanking all the leaders of the INDIA bloc to repose faith in him.
"We will do the work in 20 months that the NDA government could not do in the last 20 years," he asserted.
Taking a dig at the NDA for not announcing its chief ministerial candidate, RJD leader said that even Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared recently that Nitish Kumar would not be chief minister again.
“Now NDA should declare its CM face,” he said, adding that everybody knew that BJP would not make Nitish chief minister again. He also accused the Nitish Kumar government of copying his programmes and policies.
On the occasion, Gehlot also announced that Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) supremo and former minister Mukesh Sahani would be the deputy chief minister if the INDIA bloc formed the government after the elections. He said that deputy chief ministers from other social groups would also be appointed if the alliance comes to power in the state.
Sahani had been insisting on the post of deputy chief minister from the very beginning and was even ready to forgo some seats if he was promised the post. CPI-ML (Liberation) general secretary Dipankar Bhattachary said that Bihar was ready for a change at the helm of affairs. Gehlot also announced that INDIA bloc leaders would soon start election campaign.
TNIE earlier reported that the RJD had pressed for naming the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday between senior Congress leaders, including Ashok Gehlot and Krishna Allavaru, and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav.
Gehlot said ties within the opposition bloc remained strong, calling the discussions with RJD leaders “fruitful” and asserting that the alliance would contest the elections “unitedly.”
While he avoided commenting directly on Tejashwi’s possible nomination as the bloc’s chief ministerial face, Gehlot said any “confusion” would be addressed at Thursday’s joint press conference.
