&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Bihar Elections 2025: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav named as CM candidate for opposition alliance")
Tejashwi Yadav, the former deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has officially been named the chief ministerial candidate for the Mahagathbandhan in the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections. This announcement came from senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot during a press conference held by the INDIA bloc on Thursday (October 23).
The move follows a series of meetings aimed at resolving tensions within the alliance. Just one day prior, Gehlot was dispatched to Patna by the Congress leadership to ease disputes within the coalition, particularly regarding seat-sharing concerns. During his visit, Gehlot met with RJD's top brass, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, to reassure them of the bloc's unity. Gehlot, who has been appointed Senior Election Observer by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), affirmed that the alliance remains solid despite the internal challenges.
Earlier in the day, CPI leader Ram Naresh Pandey clarified that Tejashwi Yadav is the official chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan, dismissing any controversy surrounding posters or speculations. Pandey emphasised that all questions regarding the alliance's leadership were misguided, reiterating the unity of the coalition in their campaign for the elections.
During the Mahagathbandhan press conference, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, “We have done a joint press conference. Injustice is being done to Nitish Kumar in the NDA. Not even a single joint press conference has been held. No official announcement has been made for their CM face. We have been saying from the beginning that the people of the BJP are not going to make Nitish Kumar the chief minister. We, the people of Mahagathbandhan, do not just want to form the govt or become the CM, but we want to make Bihar, that is why we are together... I thank all the members of the Mahagathbandhan for showing trust in me. I want to tell all of them that I will do everything possible to live up to your expectations and together we will throw the 20-year-old government that is currently in power.”
Meanwhile, Congress observer for Bihar elections, Ashok Gehlot said, “We want to ask Amit Shah ji and the president of their party who is the CM face of your alliance? This is our demand because we saw that the election was fought under the leadership of the then CM Eknath Shinde, but later we found out that someone else was chosen as the chief minister.”
