As Tejashwi Yadav taunts the BJP over its missing chief ministerial candidate, the NDA banks once again on Modi’s charisma to carry Bihar.
By Bibhudatta Pradhan
The opposition grand alliance on Thursday declared Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar assembly elections, signalling renewed unity in the coalition after days of uncertainty.
In a major outreach to the extremely backward classes (EBCs), the Mahagathbandhan also announced that Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani would be appointed one of the deputy chief ministers if the alliance comes to power.
The absence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the press conference — where senior Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot formally announced Tejashwi’s candidature — has been seen as a sign that the grand old party yielded to pressure from its allies. The move also underscores that the opposition campaign is likely to be RJD-dominated.
Still, the move could work to the opposition alliance’s advantage, as Tejashwi remains a popular leader who has led spirited campaigns — in the 2020 state polls, the 2024 general elections, and now again in the 2025 assembly race. He continues to be the main challenger to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Janata Dal (United) leader and a key ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Although Nitish Kumar retains a measure of popularity, he is batting on a rough pitch this time — facing anti-incumbency, shifting caste dynamics, and voter fatigue.
With both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan relying on similar electoral playbooks and coalition arithmetic, the announcement of Tejashwi as the opposition’s chief ministerial face is set to make the Bihar contest even fiercer.
Gehlot seized the moment on Thursday to put the BJP on the defensive, daring it to name a chief ministerial candidate. “We want to ask Amit Shah ji and the president of their party — who is the CM face of your alliance?” he asked pointedly.
Tejashwi, echoing the challenge, sharpened his attack on the NDA’s leadership vacuum. “Who will be the NDA’s face? So far, there’s been no joint press conference, no vision, no agenda, and no Chief Minister announced,” he said. “Amit Shah’s statement clearly shows that Nitish Kumar is not going to be made Chief Minister.”
Not announcing a chief ministerial candidate is not new for the BJP, which has long banked on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and charisma to drive its electoral campaigns.
Senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have reiterated that the NDA’s legislators will choose the chief minister after the polls, even as they maintain that the alliance is contesting the Bihar election under Nitish Kumar’s leadership.
The BJP does not always name a chief ministerial face before state elections. It adopted the same approach in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh — winning five of these states while campaigning primarily around Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
In the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this year, the BJP again refrained from projecting a chief ministerial candidate — prompting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal to quip that the party was a “baarat without a groom.” Yet, the BJP went on to reclaim power in the capital.
The same formula now appears to guide the party’s strategy in Bihar, where the NDA is relying heavily on Modi’s national appeal to offset local leadership uncertainty.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday criticised Tejashwi, questioning his credibility and experience. “Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will develop Bihar through a double-engine government,” Prasad said.
Expressing gratitude to his alliance partners, Tejashwi responded, “We in the Mahagathbandhan are not here merely to form a government or become Chief Minister. Our goal is to build a better Bihar — that is why we are united.”
In 2020, the RJD-led alliance had come agonisingly close to power. Five years on, Tejashwi’s return as the opposition’s face makes Bihar’s political battlefield sharper and more personal.
While Prime Minister Modi’s popularity has powered the BJP to victory in several state elections, it remains to be seen whether the party’s no–CM-face strategy will be able to counter Tejashwi’s growing appeal. The answer will come when the votes are counted on November 14.
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