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Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Chaudhry mocked the grand Mahagathbandhan alliance after it named RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate on Thursday, while Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor weighed in on the issue with a ‘jungle raj’ jibe. Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot named Tejashwi as the chief ministerial pick against the NDA at a joint press conference of the Mahagathbandhan allies in Patna, along with Mukesh Sahani from the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) as the Deputy CM candidate. Gehlot said more deputies could be announced later. Speaking to reporters, Kishor said, “Appoint not one but five deputy chief ministers, but how will that help? This is not a new announcement. It was already expected that if Lalu Yadav’s ‘jungle raj’ returns, Tejashwi Yadav will be the CM face. What’s new in that?” VIDEO | Bihar Assembly Elections: Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor reacts to Mahagathbandhan announcing RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its CM face, saying, “It was always expected that if Lalu Yadav’s ‘Jungle Raj’ were to return, Tejashwi Yadav would be the CM face. So,… pic.twitter.com/gidKehMmDA — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 23, 2025 Kishor said people are yet to forget the years of corruption and misgovernance in Bihar under the RJD. Mocking Tejashwi over his big promises, such as transforming Bihar into “golden Lanka”, Kishor said that people will start voting for the BJP out of fear of Lalu Yadav, but they had a strong alternative in the Jan Suraaj Party. “People will not make a mistake this time and will opt for a new system that prioritises education and employment,” he added. ‘Shameful Day For Our Democracy’ Samrat Chaudhary also reacted to the announcement, claiming that Lalu Yadav ‘tortured’ the Congress and other allied parties and forced them to declare his son as the chief ministerial candidate of the opposition alliance. “Just as Lalu Yadav ran a reign of criminals for 15 years, similarly, he has used thuggery in his alliance to make his son a contender for Chief Minister,” he added. “The people of Bihar gave them power for 15 years, but what did the people of Bihar get? Loot, murder, rape, corruption, and the reward of theft,” Chaudhary added. “The son of a person who has been registered as a criminal in a theft case has been made the candidate for Chief Minister. Therefore, today is a shameful day for democracy that the Mahagathbandhan has supported the family of a corrupt person like Lalu Yadav for power.” He also mocked Tejashwi Yadav’s repeated promises of providing government jobs to all Bihar citizens, saying it would cost at least Rs 12 lakh crore, and asked whether the RJD would be able to bear such a heavy cost. BJP leader Nishikant Dubey said, “Now more people will vote for NDA, after knowing that Tejashvi Yadav will be the Opposition’s CM Face. People of Bihar will remember jungle raj and corruption of the RJD regime.” Tejashwi was announced as the Opposition’s CM candidate amid speculation of a rift within the bloc over seat-sharing that were doing the rounds in the political circle, with a few weeks to go before the Bihar Assembly elections. The seat-sharing negotiations between the RJD and Congress suffered a roadblock when both parties insisted on contesting certain seats, while the Congress demanded for more seats to contest the polls.
