Mahagathbandhan Legislators Name Tejashwi Yadav As Leader In Bihar Assembly

Opposition lawmakers in Bihar’s ‘Mahagathbandhan’ on Saturday unanimously selected RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to head the coalition in the state legislature.

The decision emerged from a meeting convened by Yadav ahead of the five-day legislative session beginning Monday, during which all newly elected members of the 243-seat Assembly are scheduled to take oath.

After the meeting, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra told reporters, “Tejashwi Yadav has been elected leader of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in the state legislature. Of course, he will also be leader of our party in the assembly.”

Congress MLC Samir Kumar Singh, who also serves as a working president of the party’s Bihar unit, confirmed that "the decision on Tejashwi Yadav was unanimous. We have sufficient numbers, and he shall be the leader of the opposition as well".

The opposition bloc suffered a heavy blow in the recent Assembly elections, where the ruling NDA held on to power with 202 seats.

Reflecting on the electoral process, Singh said legislators from both Houses expressed serious concern over how the polls were conducted. “These were anything but free and fair. SIR, which was first held in Bihar, remains a questionable exercise. No wonder, there is so much of political friction in a state like West Bengal," he remarked.

He added that the Congress and its allies intend to remain vocal on public issues inside the House. "We will continue to raise our voice inside the House on all issues concerning the people. We will confront the BJP-led coalition if it tries to backtrack on promises made during the elections".

With PTI inputs