Mahagathbandhan to have a Muslim Deputy CM in Bihar: Tejashwi Yadav

Patna: Bihar is gearing up for the 2025 Assembly elections. Mahagathbandhan has named Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Minister candidate and Mukesh Sahani as the Deputy CM candidate. This has raised questions from NDA leaders about why a Muslim leader, who makes up 17 per cent of the population, was not considered. Sahani belongs to a community that forms only 3-4 per cent of the population. In an interview with the media, Tejashwi Yadav hinted that a Muslim leader could still be made Deputy CM in the alliance.

Muslim Deputy CM Possibility

Tejashwi said that Ashok Gehlot had clearly mentioned in a press conference that the alliance would have more candidates for the Deputy CM post. He did not rule out the possibility of a Muslim face being chosen. "We will see. It can come from any community," he said. He also added that BJP has an issue with announcing a backward class leader as Deputy CM. Their IT cell is trolling them for not selecting a candidate from the community that BJP calls “intruders.”

Friendly Fights in the Alliance

On the question of friendly contests within Mahagathbandhan, Tejashwi said it is not a problem. Bihar has 243 seats. If there is a friendly contest in 4-5 seats, or if different alliance candidates stand in the same constituency, it does not matter much. He pointed out that India Bloc faced friendly fights in Jammu & Kashmir and Jharkhand, and still won both elections. "It is not an issue at all," he added.

Seat Sharing Disagreements

Regarding the tension over seat sharing, the opposition leader said that they are part of a pre-poll alliance. It is natural that all parties want to contest the maximum number of seats. However, several factors, like winning chances and overall structure, must be considered. The alliance works this way and has been successful in the past.

Delay in CM Face Announcement

On the delay in announcing the CM candidate, Tejashwi responded, "Who says it is delayed? Everything has its right time and place." He added that Mahagathbandhan is ahead of NDA, which has not yet announced its CM candidate. "Who will be their CM face? Amit Shah even said that MLAs will decide after results. We are clear, and there is no confusion in the alliance. Bihar people also have no confusion," he said.