Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, once seen as a political rival to the RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar, has on 27 June, Friday, firmly backed Yadav as the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face for the upcoming assembly elections.
Kumar said there was “no confusion or dispute” within the alliance on this matter and asserted that if the Mahagathbandhan wins a majority, the chief minister will be from the RJD.
His remarks are being seen as a clear indication that the Congress is ready to play a secondary role in Bihar politics and wants to avoid giving the ruling NDA any opportunity to question the unity within the opposition alliance.
Kumar also underlined that the campaign for the upcoming elections would be centred on relevant issues, not personalities. He accused political opponents of deliberately trying to distract voters by stirring up speculation over the ‘CM face’.
“There is absolute clarity. The Mahagathbandhan is functioning in a systematic manner— a media group and a manifesto committee have been formed, and seat-sharing will be decided collectively. After the elections, if the people give us a majority, the chief minister will be from the RJD,” he said.
When asked directly if Tejashwi Yadav is the top contender for the CM post, Kumar responded, “There is no doubt. The public decides the chief minister. The one who gets the numbers will lead. Tejashwi–ji is the face.”
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In an interview with PTI, Kumar — who rose to national prominence during the JNU controversy in 2016 — said the “winds of change” in Bihar are stronger now than in the previous assembly polls.
On the question of seat-sharing, he clarified that while the alliance partners would collectively contest all 243 seats, individual party-wise seat counts were not the priority.
“RJD, Congress, Left parties and Sahani-ji’s [Vikassheel Insaan Party] will contest all 243 seats together as one unit. In a natural, issue-based alliance, it’s not about who contests for how many seats. Responsibilities will be shared — bigger or smaller, each is crucial,” Kumar said, adding metaphorically, “Even a pinch of salt too much or too little can spoil the food — everyone has a role to play.”
Expressing confidence in the alliance’s performance, Kumar said that public anger over unemployment, mass migration, poor education, failing healthcare, rigged exams and rising authoritarianism would drive voters toward the Mahagathbandhan.
“Today, governance is being run by bureaucrats in a dictatorial style. People want change,” he said.
In the 2020 assembly elections, RJD had contested 144 seats and won 75, emerging as the single largest party.
The Congress fielded candidates on 70 seats but secured only 19, while the CPI (ML) Liberation contested 19 and won 12.
The next Bihar assembly elections are expected to be held in October–November.
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