INDIA bloc names Tejashwi as CM face for Bihar, Mukesh his deputy ahead of polls | Patna News
PATNA: Ending days of chaos and conflicts, the INDIA bloc on Thursday finally declared RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as the chief ministerial face for Bihar and VIP president Mukesh Sahani his deputy in what is seen as a last-ditch attempt to resolve disputes and project unity in the alliance before hitting the campaign trail.The opposition also used the CM face declaration to hit out at the rival NDA and asked Union minister Amit Shah to name his leader for Bihar. “We have declared Tejashwi as our leader, but who is your leader? It will not suffice to say that Nitish Ji will lead the NDA’s poll campaign. You will have to name your CM candidate,” senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, party emissary and troubleshooter said, citing the Maharashtra incident where the post of the CM went to someone else after the elections, although CM Eknath Shinde led the poll campaign.Tejashwi described the NDA’s silence over its CM face as a gross injustice to CM Nitish Kumar, who was the first to kickstart the poll campaign from the NDA side.
Tejashwi chosen as CM face after much deliberation: Gehlot
His name was announced by Gehlot, in the presence of Congress’ Bihar charge Krishna Allavaru, state Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, VIP president Mukesh Sahani, and other Left leaders. Gehlot also said the VIP president and the leaders from other sections of society would be the Deputy CM if the opposition alliance came to power.“We have decided to name Tejashwi Yadav as our CM face. He is young and has a long future, and it has been noticed that the masses support people with long political future,” Gehlot told the media in Patna on Thursday, also describing Tejashwi as a “man of commitments” who fulfilled all his pre-poll commitments in the previous term as the Dy CM.“So, we have taken this decision after much deliberation, and it has the backing of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi,” the former Rajasthan CM claimed. He added that Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi would visit the state and launch a joint poll campaign in proper coordination with Tejashwi.Thursday was the last date of withdrawal for candidature for the second phase as the two-phase polling will start from Nov 6.The issue of who would be the CM face of the opposition had remained a total suspense with the Congress maintaining complete silence over the matter, apparently leading to bitterness in the opposition alliance, ahead of the elections.However, the missing photographs of all top opposition leaders, including Congress LoP in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, from the poster put up at the venue of the media conference sparked a new row with the NDA quickly latching on to it. It was only Tejashwi who featured on the larger-than-life posters put behind the dais.The “CM-designate” thanked the INDIA bloc leaders for reposing faith in him and declared to come clear on their expectations. “It was not a big issue for us, but since there was so much media speculation, we decided to make it clear,” Tejashwi, who enjoyed two short tenures as the Deputy CM, said, assuring the people of the state never to “compromise on corruption” and “spare nobody accused of a crime, be it his own shadow or anyone with influence.“Congress’ U-turn on naming Tejashwi as the CM face came barely weeks after Rahul dodged a query on the opposition’s CM face during the Voter Adhikar Yatra, which was joined by all opposition leaders. “There is no tension in the opposition alliance as we all are working with proper coordination. Moreover, we are ideologically and politically aligned, and its result will be fruitful,” was how Rahul responded when asked about Tejashwi’s CM face at a press conference in Araria on August 24. Prior to him, Allavaru and former Rajasthan’s Deputy CM Sachin Pilot also skipped the query.The situation reached such a level that Tejashwi unilaterally declared himself as the CM face of the opposition during the same Voter Adhikar Yatra in Ara on August 30, right in the presence of INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul. “Tejashwi aage-aage, Sarkar pichhe-pichhe. Original CM chahiye ki duplicate?” (Tejashwi is moving ahead while the govt is following him from behind. Do you want a duplicate CM or original CM)?” Tejashwi told the crowd as the other INDIA bloc leaders looked at him. When the crowd said chanted “original CM,” Tejashwi asked them to repeat it.
