Days ahead of Bihar Assembly elections 2025, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is likely to be announced as Mahagathbandhan’s CM candidate. Congress leader Ashok Gehlot visits Patna to strengthen alliance amid friendly fight concerns
RJD leader and Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav addresses a press conference
Days before the assembly elections kick off in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav is likely to be announced as the Chief Ministerial candidate by the opposition Mahagathbandhan today.
As reported by news agency ANI, the declaration of Tejashwi as Mahagathbandhan's CM face is expected to be made during a joint press conference by alliance parties. Tejashwi, the Bihar Leader of Opposition (LoP), has previously served as Deputy Chief Minister.
This comes a day after the Congress high command rushed senior party leader Ashok Gehlot to Patna to defuse tensions within the grand alliance.
Earlier on Wednesday, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav at their residence in Patna amid reports of a widening rift between alliance partners, stemming from the issue of a "friendly fight" on some assembly seats.
Ashok Gehlot, who has been named as Senior Election Observer by the AICC, assured that the INDIA bloc is "fully united" after he and the Bihar Congress in-charge, Krishna Allavaru, met with RJD's top leadership.
Gehlot, after visiting Tejashwi Yadav’s residence in Bihar, said that the Mahagathbandhan will hold a press conference on October 23 to show the strength of the alliance. He also slammed the BJP for running a "sponsored campaign" in Bihar to create an "environment" that would suggest a rift within the alliance.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot: "A highly positive meeting took place with AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, along with Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. The INDIA alliance in Bihar is fully united and is contesting the elections with strength. The full situation will be clarified in the Mahagathbandhan's press conference," as cited by news agency ANI.
Further speaking about the friendly fights on some seats in the alliance, Gehlot assured that it is not something out of the ordinary and the Mahagathbandhan has "no problem" at all.
The Senior Election Observer further stated that, "In 243 seats, due to local leaders and equations, a situation like a friendly fight sometimes arises on 5-7 seats. This is a very small number, but a campaign was run against the Mahagathbandhan in the media over it, whereas in reality, there is no problem at all," as cited by ANI.
The Mahagathbandhan has about 12 seats where at least two allies have filed nominations. However, this notion of a friendly fight has invited criticism from the NDA alliance, which has had no fissures after its seat-sharing arrangements were announced.
The Bihar elections 2025 will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan.
(With inputs from ANI)
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