Bihar assembly election 2025: The opposition’s Mahagathbandhan group may have a Muslim Deputy CM in Bihar, if the coalition wins the high-stake two-phase elections in the state, said Tejashwi Yadav, the CM candidate of the bloc. The alliance, days after hectic parlays and suspense, finally declared Tejashwi Yadav as its CM candidate and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni its Deputy CM nominee.
However, in an interview with English news website Mint, Tejashwi Yadav has hinted at a possible Muslim Deputy CM in the state, if he comes to power in Bihar.
Mahagathbandhan and its ‘manthan’
The grand alliance is being led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar, and now he has formally been declared their CM face. Speaking on the delay that the coalition took in making the announcement, he said that there was no issue, adding that NDA has not declared its faces as of yet.
“Who says there was a delay? There is a time and a place for everything. In fact, we are ahead of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). They have not announced the name of any CM candidate. Who will be their CM’s face? In fact, Amit Shah stated that MLAs will decide on the CM’s face after the results are announced. We are clear, and there is no confusion in the alliance. And let me tell you, people of Bihar have no confusion either,” he said, quoted the Mint.
When asked if Congress was hesitant in announcing his name, he said, “No.”
“There was and is nothing like that. In fact, the alliance partners, including the Congress, had long decided to make me the chairperson of the Mahagathbandhan coordination committee. In the 2020 elections, too, we were clear on this, and they trusted me. So, where is the confusion? Everything has already been decided. We were waiting for the proper time,” Tejashwi Yadav added.
A Muslim face as Deputy CM?
On the question of why the INDIA bloc did not make a Muslim face its Deputy CM, Tejashwi said there could be more than one Deputy CMs, if the opposition wins Bihar election.
“Do you remember what Ashok Gehlot ji said while announcing the CM face at the press conference? He clearly stated that we will have more Deputy CM faces in the alliance. The BJP has issues with a representative from EBC being declared a Deputy CM face. Their IT cell has been trolling us for not naming a representative from a community they would otherwise call infiltrators,” he added.
“We are not ruling out that possibility. Let’s wait and watch. It can be from any community,” he said on the possibility of a Muslim Deputy CM in Bihar.
The state will vote in two phases on Nov 6 and Nov 11, with the counting of votes taking place on Nov 14.