Bihar Election Battle: NDA's Favourable Atmosphere vs Tejashwi CM Face-Off

Expressing confidence in the NDA's victory, Sai said that people have not forgotten former Bihar CM Lalu Yadav's involvement in the fodder scam.

"The atmosphere there (Bihar) is very favourable for the NDA. As far as Congress and RJD are concerned, the people there are well aware of their tenure. The people of Bihar have not forgotten how RJD was involved in the fodder scam, so I am fully confident that in the upcoming assembly elections, the NDA will secure a huge majority and an NDA government will be formed there," he said.

Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan today cleared the air regarding the face of their alliance, as Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav was declared as the Chief Ministerial face of the Opposition.

The move was announced during a joint Mahagathbandhan press briefing in Patna on Thursday, which consisted of top leaders of the alliance, Congress's Ashok Gehlot, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Vikassheel Insaan Party's Mukesh Sahani and CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. Apart from Tejashwi, Sahani was declared as the alliance's Deputy CM nominee for the state polls.

Following Tejashwi Yadav's announcement as Mahagathbandhan's face for the Bihar elections, the National Democratic Alliance came out heavy at the RJD leader, claiming that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) "tortured" Congress and other parties in the Mahagathbandhan to declare RJD leader as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the alliance for the upcoming Assembly polls.

Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary alleged that the RJD fielded candidates against Congress and alliance partners to force them to accept Tejashwi as the CM face.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, Samrat Choudhary said, "Lalu Yadav declared the CM face of Mahagathbandhan through hooliganism and torturing Congress and other parties, by fielding candidates against them, just the way they spread 'jungle raj' in Bihar."

Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar, taking a jibe at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for not including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's photo in the posters at the Mahagathbandhan press conference, which was held earlier in the day, asserted that the opposition alliance here is "very weak" with parties involved in friendly fights.

The 2025 Bihar elections will have the main contest between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).

Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has staked claims to all 243 seats in the state. The Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14.

- ANI