Patna, 23rd Sept 2025: Ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has issued a strong warning to the INDIA bloc. He clearly stated that his party will not contest the elections unless a Chief Ministerial candidate is declared in advance.
This statement has stirred unease among Congress and other alliance partners of the INDIA bloc. Speaking at an event in Vaishali, Tejashwi asserted,
> “We are not like BJP to contest elections without a face. We will not go to the polls without announcing our CM candidate. This is non-negotiable, and we will take further steps accordingly.”
It is worth noting that Tejashwi has previously expressed support for Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial face of the INDIA bloc. Now, before the Bihar elections, he is reportedly pressuring the alliance to declare him as the Chief Ministerial candidate.
Tejashwi has been actively campaigning through his “Voter Rights Yatra”, which has already covered over 3,500 km across 38 districts, raising issues such as unemployment, migration of laborers, inflation, corruption, and law & order problems.
As Tejashwi intensifies pressure on the INDIA alliance, Congress leader Krishna Allavaru responded, saying:
> “It is the people of Bihar who will decide who becomes the Chief Minister.”
CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya also echoed similar sentiments, saying the CM face should be decided only after the alliance secures victory.
On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi has remained silent on this issue so far. The alliance is already witnessing internal tensions regarding seat-sharing and leadership, and several senior INDIA bloc leaders are reportedly calling for an urgent resolution to avoid deeper conflict.