Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s confidence has soared after being declared the Chief Ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. In a charged address in Patna, he directly challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that the formula of “factory in Gujarat and victory in Bihar” will no longer work.
The announcement was made during a meeting at a Patna hotel attended by senior leaders Ashok Gehlot, Mukesh Sahni, and Dipankar Bhattacharya. After weeks of internal wrangling, the Congress party reluctantly accepted Yadav as the Grand Alliance’s CM face.
According to sources, Rahul Gandhi and Krishna Allavaru had been hesitant to confirm Yadav’s candidature, but a series of closed-door discussions between Lalu Prasad Yadav, Gehlot, and Tejashwi paved the way for consensus. Despite ongoing talks of a “friendly contest” over some seats, Congress ultimately endorsed the RJD’s leadership in Bihar.
Following the official announcement, a visibly confident Tejashwi Yadav addressed the media, launching a sharp critique of both the NDA government at the Centre and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s administration in Bihar. He vowed to create a state where “children will no longer need to go abroad for education or employment.”
“We will build a new Bihar,” Yadav said. “Even my shadow will be punished if it commits a mistake — there will be zero tolerance for corruption.”
The RJD leader also accused the BJP of ignoring Bihar’s industrial and economic needs. “Since the UPA government, not a single factory has been built here. Amit Shah says there is no land in Bihar, which clearly shows they don’t want to work for this state,” he remarked.
Tejashwi took a direct swipe at both Modi and Nitish, saying, “For 20 years, they ruled Bihar and the Centre together — yet poverty and unemployment persist. If our government comes to power, we will achieve in 20 months what they couldn’t in 20 years.”
Yadav’s assertive tone and bold promises mark a pivotal moment in Bihar’s election campaign, signalling the Grand Alliance’s renewed determination to challenge the NDA’s dominance in the 2025 polls.
