Bihar Election 2025: Mahagathbandhan Names Tejashwi Yadav as CM Face in United Front
Allies pledge unity against NDA amid seat-sharing frictions and fierce BJP backlash; Amit Shah, PM Modi ramp up campaign blitz
Patna, October 23, 2025 – In a high-stakes move to consolidate opposition forces ahead of Bihar’s fiercely contested assembly polls, the Mahagathbandhan alliance on Thursday formally anointed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate during a joint press conference at Patna’s Hotel Maurya. The 50-minute event, attended by leaders from seven alliance parties, underscored vows of unity while drawing sharp rebukes from the ruling NDA over alleged internal rifts and “arrogance.”
Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot, addressing the gathering, declared Yadav the alliance’s “leader” and announced Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni as a prospective deputy chief minister, with additional deputies to be drawn from backward communities. “Our leader is Tejashwi Yadav. Now, let the NDA reveal their CM face—merely contesting under Nitish Kumar’s name won’t suffice,” Gehlot thundered, highlighting the NDA’s reluctance to name a successor amid health concerns for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
Yadav, responding to the endorsement, expressed gratitude and vowed to live up to the trust. “We will uproot the 20-year-old inept government. Bihar needs industry, not migration—after 20 years of JD(U) rule and 11 under Modi, we’re the poorest state, with rampant corruption and crumbling infrastructure,” he said, slamming the NDA for lacking a clear agenda and mimicking Mahagathbandhan promises on jobs and pensions.
The conference featured speeches from 14 leaders across RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), VIP, CPI(M), CPI, and All India Pan Mahasabha National, emphasizing constitutional defense and change. CPI(ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya rallied with “Vote chor, gaddi chhod Bihar,” while Mukesh Sahni pledged to “break BJP until it’s broken,” referencing past poaching of his MLAs. Left leader Lalan Choudhary and Congress’s Rajesh Ram hailed the “era of change,” with IP Gupta assuring support from Tanti, Tatwa, and Pan communities.
However, cracks surfaced in the alliance’s facade. The Mahagathbandhan fielded 254 candidates across 243 seats—RJD (143), Congress (61), CPI(M) (20), CPI (9), CPM (6), VIP (15)—but 12 seats saw intra-alliance clashes, including six between RJD and Congress. Congress faces risks on 40 of its seats, with 17 where the alliance has lost three straight elections (e.g., Valmiki Nagar, Purnia, Gaya Town). Posters featuring only Yadav sparked controversy; independent MP Pappu Yadav decried the omission of Rahul Gandhi’s image, insisting votes would go “only to Rahul’s photo.” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera dismissed it as “suspense” to be resolved at the event.
The NDA pounced on the fissures. LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan mocked the “one-face” presser as a betrayal of alliance dharma, accusing the opposition of hiding in “AC rooms.” BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok branded it a “thieves’ procession,” targeting Yadav and Rahul Gandhi over corruption allegations. Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal claimed RJD-Congress friendship is impossible, citing Rahul’s past snub of Yadav. JD(U)’s Rajiv Ranjan Prasad predicted defeat regardless of the CM face, boasting the NDA’s “victory chariot” is unstoppable.
Campaign gears intensified on the NDA side. Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Patna for a three-day tour, holding strategy meetings on rebels before addressing rallies in Siwan-Buxar (Oct 24) and Bihar Sharif-Munger-Khagaria (Oct 25)—totaling 25 events. BJP chief JP Nadda will rally in Goh and Patepur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, set for 12 rallies in six days, kicks off in Samastipur-Begusarai (Oct 24), followed by Muzaffarpur-Chhapra (Oct 30), with more slated for early November. Seventeen teams are coordinating Modi’s logistics.
The alliance countered with plans to release its manifesto on October 28, followed by a joint rally of Rahul Gandhi and Yadav. Caste arithmetic reveals a strategic push: 66 Yadav and 30 Muslim candidates bolster the MY core, while 37 upper-caste (15 Bhumihar, 11 Rajput, 10 Brahmin, 1 Kayastha), 28 Koeri, 38 Dalit, 2 ST, 17 Vaishya, and 30 EBC nominees aim to pierce NDA’s Labh-Kush equation.
Meanwhile, second-phase nominations close today, with 1,761 candidates (2,103 valid after 578 rejections) across 122 seats; independents and unrecognized parties will receive symbols. Polls for Bihar’s 243 seats, pivotal for national alliances, begin November 7, with results on November 23. As accusations fly, Bihar’s 7.42 crore voters—fresh from the ECI’s voter roll purge—hold the key to whether Yadav’s resurgence or NDA’s incumbency prevails.
