Patna: The Grand Alliance on Thursday officially announced Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni as Deputy Chief Minister for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The announcement, made at a joint press conference in Patna, marks a political comeback for Sahni — a leader who once parted ways with the alliance under acrimonious circumstances.
For Mukesh Sahni, famously known as the “Son of Mallah,” this moment fulfilled a long-cherished dream. Ever since leaving the NDA in 2024, he had been demanding the Deputy CM position as a condition for his support to the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). On Thursday, his wish was finally granted.
Sahni, 44, used the opportunity to launch a fierce attack on the BJP, accusing it of dismantling his party. “From the day BJP broke our party and bought our MLAs, I took a pledge that I will not rest until I break the BJP. That time has come,” he declared. “We will stay united with the Grand Alliance, form the government in Bihar, and drive the BJP out of the state.”
In 2020, Sahni had walked out of the Grand Alliance following a public fallout with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav during a press conference, later joining the NDA. Under the NDA, his party was allotted 11 seats, winning four, though Sahni himself lost from Simri Bakhtiarpur. He was later made a minister in the Nitish Kumar government.
However, relations soured again when BJP leaders engineered defections within his party, pushing him out of the cabinet. Sahni termed the move a “political assassination” and began rebuilding ties with Tejashwi Yadav in 2024. Despite poor results in the Lok Sabha polls that year, he maintained his demand for the Deputy CM role.
Thursday’s announcement was made by Congress observer and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who confirmed Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face and Sahni as his deputy. Gehlot also hinted at more Deputy Chief Ministers representing other communities if the alliance forms the next government.
