Bihar polls: Tejashwi Yadav named Opposition's CM face; Mukesh Sahani is Deputy CM pick

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. 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 coalitions deputy chief ministerial nominee. The announcement came amid controversy after photographs of top INDIA bloc leaders were missing from a banner at the Mahagathbandhans joint press conference. The banner, images of which went viral on social media, featured only a large photograph of Tejashwi. VIDEO | Patna: Congress leader Ashok Gehlot ( @ashokgehlot51 ) announces RJDs candidate from Raghopur seat Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face of Mahagathbandhan for Bihar Assembly Polls. He says, After discussions with all senior leaders, we have decided that Tejashwi Yadav will be pic.twitter.com/AOeQBdHqdH Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 23, 2025 Tejashwi , the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly, accepted the nomination, thanking alliance partners and expressing confidence that the Mahagathbandhan would unseat the NDA. 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, he said. Tejashwi also claimed that the BJP would not back JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar for another term as chief minister, alleging that injustice was being done to him within the NDA. 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, he said. TNIE earlier reported that the RJD had pressed for naming the alliances 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 Tejashwis possible nomination as the blocs chief ministerial face, Gehlot said any confusion would be addressed at Thursdays joint press conference. As RJD-Congress ties strain, Tejashwi banks on job security and womens welfare in Bihar polls