Tejashwi Named as INDIA Bloc’s CM Candidate for Bihar Polls

PM Modi Attacks RJD-Congress Combine, Says People Won’t Forget ‘Jungle Raj’ for Another 100 Years

PTI, Patna/New Delhi, Oct 23, 2025 : The opposition INDIA bloc on Thursday declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav its chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar assembly polls, in what is being seen as a last-ditch effort to put an end to squabbles and project unity ahead of the elections.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who has been camping in Patna since Wednesday to iron out differences with the RJD, said the decision had the approval of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a crowded press conference here, Gehlot also said Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni and leaders from other sections of society will be deputy CMs if the INDIA bloc comes to power in the state, "keeping in mind the complex social structure of Bihar."

"We have decided, after consultations with our national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, besides all coalition partners who are here, to name Tejashwi Yadav ji as our chief ministerial candidate," Gehlot said.

Incidentally, demands have been made by a section of Congress leaders in Bihar that it would like one of its leaders, preferably a Muslim or a Dalit, as a deputy CM if the multi-party coalition came to power.

Speaking at the same press conference, Yadav, who had led the Mahagathbandhan in the last assembly polls, thanked his allies for reposing their trust in him again and said, "It was not a big issue for us, but since there was so much media speculation, we decided to make it clear."

The 35-year-old leader, often dubbed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the "crown prince of jungle raj," addressed the criticism head-on.

"I would like to tell the people of Bihar that Tejashwi will never compromise on corruption and will spare nobody accused of a crime, be it his own shadow or anyone with influence," said Yadav, who has enjoyed two short tenures as deputy CM.

The RJD leader also alleged that the bogey of jungle raj was a "propaganda" by the BJP, which shares power in Bihar, where "not a day passes that murders and rapes do not take place. Victims of sexual assault die for want of timely medical help."

Later, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, who was present at the press conference, told reporters, "We have taken the lead by announcing our face. Now it is for the NDA to stop equivocating on the issue and declaring whom it proposes to make the CM if it forms the government."

Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the second most powerful leader in the NDA after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently said that the coalition would contest the assembly polls "under the leadership" of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), but "the legislators would decide" who will occupy the top post after the elections.

The remark has been seen by many as a sign that the BJP, which had outperformed the JD(U) in the last assembly elections, now wanted to have its own chief minister in the only Hindi heartland state where it is yet to occupy the seat of power.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the "jungle raj" in Bihar will be discussed for another 100 years and no matter how hard the opposition tries to hide its misdeeds, people will not forgive it.

Training his guns at the RJD-Congress tie-up on a day Tejashwi Yadav was declared the Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Bihar polls, Modi said the opposition alliance is not a "gathbandhan" but a "lathbandhan" (a coalition of criminals) as all its leaders from Delhi and Bihar are out on bail.

Modi asked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers to ensure that elderly people educate youngsters about the atrocities during the "jungle raj," an apparent reference to the time when Bihar was under the rule of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

Addressing the "Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot: Yuva Samvaad" event through audio-conferencing, the prime minister said people will not forget the "jungle raj" in Bihar for another 100 years and no matter how hard the opposition tries to hide its misdeeds, people will not forgive it.

"I would tell all the youngsters in Bihar to gather all the young people at every booth and have the elderly people in that area come and tell everyone about the old stories from the jungle raj," he said.

Interacting with a BJP worker, Modi said a "mahayagya" of development is going on in the country, with all-round work being carried out due to a stable government at the Centre and in Bihar.

"In Bihar, work is happening in every sector, in every direction. Hospitals are being built, good schools are being established and new railway routes are being developed. A major reason for this is that there is a stable government in the country and in Bihar. When there is stability, development accelerates. This is the strength of Bihar's NDA government as well," he said.

"That is why youngsters in Bihar are saying with enthusiasm — 'Raftaar pakad chuka Bihar, phir se NDA sarkar'," the prime minister said.

He said the Bihar Assembly polls are about writing a new chapter in the history of the state and that youngsters will play a key role in it.