Is Tejashwi Yadav Set to Become the Face of the Mahagathbandhan? Press Conference Sparks Speculation

Tejashwi Yadav's Potential Candidacy Announcement

Patna: Anticipation is building as the Mahagathbandhan gears up for a significant press conference on Thursday, with many believing that Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) may finally be named as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the alliance.

This development follows a meeting involving Tejashwi Yadav, senior Congress figure Ashok Gehlot, and the party's Bihar in-charge, Krishna Allavaru, who met with Tejashwi and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in Patna on Wednesday.

The press conference, set to take place at Patna's Maurya Hotel, is further fueled by a banner that prominently features Tejashwi Yadav's image alongside the election symbols of all Mahagathbandhan partners, along with the hashtag 'Bihar maange Tejashwi sarkar' (Bihar demands Tejashwi government).

This event will mark the first joint press conference of the Mahagathbandhan since the election dates were announced.

The last occasion the alliance leaders shared a platform was during the launch of the 'Ati Pichhda EBC Sankalp Patra' in Patna on September 24, which included Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and Mukesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insaan Party.

Previously, these leaders participated together in Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', which covered over 25 districts in Bihar.

While the Congress has not commented on the results of Wednesday's meeting, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya expressed growing impatience within the alliance regarding the delay in announcing Tejashwi Yadav as the CM candidate.

"Tejashwi's name as the Opposition's CM candidate could be officially revealed at the joint press conference on Thursday. Everyone in Bihar knows Tejashwi will be the CM if the Opposition bloc secures a majority," Bhattacharya remarked.

Ashok Gehlot, however, has taken a more cautious approach, stating that all uncertainties would be clarified during Thursday's press conference.

To date, the Congress has been careful in declaring Tejashwi Yadav as the consensus choice for the Opposition alliance, not reciprocating his public support for Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming 2024 general elections.