Ahead of the Bihar assembly polls, ending weeks of speculations, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was declared the chief ministerial face of Mahagathbandhan. Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who is in Bihar to iron out differences with the RJD, said the decision had the approval of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
Gehlot also said Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani 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".
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: At the Mahagathbandhan press conference, Congress observer for Bihar elections, Ashok Gehlot says, "... We want to ask Amit Shah ji and the president of their party who is the CM face of your alliance? This is our demand because we saw that the election was… https://t.co/kVK313TycW pic.twitter.com/yZjML080vB
— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2025
If reports are to be believed, it took some arm-twisting from Sahani to convince the INDIA bloc that he should be named the deputy chief ministerial candidate.
The VIP chief, hailed as "Son of Mallah'', who worked as a Bollywood fashion designer before launching his party in 2018 to fight for the rights of people belonging to the backward Nishad-Mallah communities, reportedly bargained for a "respectable place"—although the INDIA bloc has bigger parties—even as the VIP settled for 15 seats.
According to an NDTV report, he said he settled for 15 seats in the hope that he would get the post of deputy chief minister (if the bloc is elected to power) and argued he cannot face his supporters if such an arrangement is not made. He reportedly threatened to disrupt whatever little unity that the bloc has managed to achieve over the past few weeks.
Not yielding to his demand would also have resulted in the alliance alienating the Mallah community.
What is the Sahani factor?
Sahani has been keen on the post of deputy chief minister from the very start. He was willing to settle for lesser seats if the bloc promised the post to him.
Sahani has a history of walking the talk. He had walked away from the NDA alliance during the 2020 assembly elections over the alleged influence of the BJP over the VIP leaders. He was also reportedly ready to ditch Mahagathbandhan over seat-sharing agreements.
According to media reports, the Mahagathbandhan top leadership agreed to the demand made by Sahani as the Nishad-Mallah community comprises around 12 per cent of Bihar's voters. These communities are primarily located in the Mithilanchal and Seemanchal regions, and with the announcement, the INDIA bloc wants to be more appealing to the voters belonging to backward and marginalised communities.
"I was awaiting this moment for 3.5 years. The moment has now come. Not just VIP or Mukesh Sahani, lakhs of people of the party were waiting for this," said Sahani.
"BJP broke our party and poached our MLAs...At that time, we had pledged with Ganga jal in our hands - 'BJP ko jab tak hum todenge nahi, tab tak chhoddenge nahi'. The time has come, standing strong with Mahagathbandhan, we will form our government in Bihar and oust the BJP from the state," he added.
“Our workers were eagerly waiting for this announcement, and now the votes of our (Mallah) community will go to the INDIA alliance,” said Santosh Sahani, brother of Mukesh Sahani, after the announcement regarding the deputy CM was made.
