Chirag Paswan Questions Tejashwi's CM Claim Amid Bihar Alliance Clashes

Chirag Paswan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Patna to discuss strategies for securing key constituencies ahead of the 243-seat Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled for November 6 and 11, with counting on November 14

Speaking to reporters, Paswan added that a coalition plagued by internal clashes cannot deliver development, warning that the people will not accept such leadership ahead of the state elections.

"Who says Tejashwi Yadav's name (as CM candidate) is confirmed when even the Alliance is not saying that Tejashwi is confirmed. The people will not accept them. An alliance which has so many internal clashes cannot develop Bihar," he said.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said Tejashwi Yadav, a "very popular candidate" and the former deputy CM, should be declared as the Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate.

She also stressed that mistakes in seat allocation and candidate selection, which were seen in Maharashtra, must not be repeated in Bihar.

On Friday, Chaturvedi told ANI, "The mistakes made in the Maharashtra elections, including not declaring the chief ministerial candidate, as well as disputes among the three alliance partners over seat allocation and candidate selection, should not be repeated in Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav is a very popular candidate."

She further added, "He is almost in a neck-to-neck fight with Nitish Kumar and the various other so-called aspirants of the chief ministership. He has done a phenomenal job when he was the deputy chief minister. So it is time that as part of the INDIA Alliance and in the spirit of it, which we came around that we should all support the party which is stronger and he would be supported, would be helped, and he would be declared as the chief ministerial candidate..."

Meanwhile, the Congress party released its first list of 48 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections.

According to an official statement from Thursday, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Rajesh Ram will contest from the Kutumba Assembly seat, while Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan will fight from the Kadwa constituency.

Out of the total 48 candidates, 24 will be contested in the first phase of elections and 24 in the second phase. The party said that the remaining names will be announced in due course.

The list, approved by the Central Election Committee (CEC), includes Jayesh Mangal Singh from Bagaha, Amit Giri from Nautan, Abhishek Ranjan from Chanpatia, Wasi Ahmed from Bettiah, Amit Kumar Singh 'Tunna' from Riga, Chandan Yadav from Khagaria, and Ajeet Kumar Sharma from Bhagalpur.

- ANI