‘Who Will Be NDA’s Face?’: Tejashwi Yadav Takes Aim At BJP, Alleges ‘Injustice’ Towards Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar Election 2025: The Mahagathbandhan declared Tejashwi Yadav as its CM candidate and Mukesh Sahani as Deputy CM. Yadav criticised the NDA's lack of a CM face, alleging BJP's reluctance towards Nitish Kumar.
Bihar Election 2025: The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar has officially declared RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming state assembly elections. Alongside him, Mukesh Sahani has been designated as the Deputy Chief Ministerial face for the polls scheduled to begin on November 6.
Speaking to news agency ANI on his nomination, Tejashwi Yadav asserted, “We’ve never been confused about this. We’re clear on this matter. But the question is, who will be the NDA’s face? So far, no joint press conference has been held, no vision has been revealed, no agenda has been announced, and no Chief Minister has been announced. Amit Shah’s statement clearly shows that Nitish Kumar is not going to be made Chief Minister. He stated that after the elections, the MLAs of the legislative party will choose their leader. BJP doesn’t want Nitish Kumar to become Chief Minister.”
#BiharElection2025 | On being announced as Mahagathbandhan's CM face, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says, "We've never been confused about this. We're clear on this matter. But the question is, who will be the NDA's face? So far, no joint press conference has been held, no vision has… pic.twitter.com/VIWFLegIvz
— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2025
On VIP chief Mukesh Sahani announced as Mahagathbandhan's Deputy CM face, he remarked, "Mukesh Sahani comes from the extremely backward community. Apart from him, there will be other deputy chief ministers as well..."
#BiharElection2025 | On VIP chief Mukesh Sahani announced as Mahagathbandhan's Deputy CM face, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, says, "Mukesh Sahani comes from the extremely backward community. Apart from him, there will be other Deputy Chief Ministers as well..." pic.twitter.com/5CpdOjjhr8
— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2025
Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav, confident of the alliance’s prospects, said, “All the leaders of the Grand Alliance have shown trust in me, and I will live up to that trust. Together, we will uproot the corrupt ‘double engine’ government. We have also held a press conference together, but injustice is being done to Nitish Kumar ji in the NDA. He has not even been declared the face of the Chief Minister. The truth is that the BJP will not make Nitish Kumar ji the Chief Minister. Amit Shah has already confirmed that the number of legislators will determine the Chief Minister. The question is, every time, the face of the Chief Minister has been declared, so why is such a statement being made this time?”
Bihar Election 2025: Opposition Questions NDA’s Leadership
The announcement has prompted reactions from the INDIA bloc and Congress leaders, who questioned the NDA for its lack of clarity on a Chief Ministerial candidate. Congress spokesperson Pawan Verma remarked, “NDA has not even announced a name, they are saying that MLAs will decide who their leader will be. So, tell me who is late? It is Bihar which is 20 years late on the path to development… Strategies have been decided on all seats…There is no confusion on our side.”
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the NDA’s leadership. “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 (in Maharashtra) 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,” he said.
Bihar Election 2025: Mahagathbandhan Shows Unity Ahead of Polls
Despite earlier speculation about internal confusion, all Mahagathbandhan allies presented a united front at the press conference. CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya explained, “In a big state like Bihar, the Deputy CM face has been announced as per requirement…We had thought that we would contest a higher number of seats this time but the alliance grew bigger this time. So, we are contesting on a lesser number of seats, on 20 seats. But we will contest unitedly.”
RJD national spokesperson Nawal Kishore added, “Everyone in Mahagathbandhan knew this…Now, Bihar has come to know that Tejashwi Yadav is the future of Bihar. This is not just about the change in Govt but also about the transformation of future of Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav has worked and fulfilled the promises he made earlier. People of Bihar have accepted him and they will give him a chance.”
The first phase of polling in Bihar will take place on November 6, followed by a second phase on November 12. Vote counting is scheduled for November 14.
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