Why Congress Won't Admit What Bihar Voters Know: Tejashwi Will Be CM If Opposition Wins

Since the beginning of this year, Congress has been reluctant to project Tejashwi Yadav as the future Chief Minister of Bihar. At several points, bitterness surfaced in the statements made by leaders of both Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). However, during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in recent months, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc of opposition parties has shown greater unity, particularly between its two major stakeholders, the RJD and Congress. Still, the question lingers: why is Congress avoiding the official declaration of Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Minister candidate for the alliance?

During the Voter Adhikar Yatra, Tejashwi Yadav described Rahul Gandhi as the INDIA bloc’s Prime Minister candidate. Yet, following Congress’s crushing defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections, RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav openly advocated for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to lead the INDIA alliance.

Despite knowing that his father supported Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, Tejashwi continued to project Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate in the next Lok Sabha election during the yatra. But the reciprocation RJD and Tejashwi expected from Rahul Gandhi, an official announcement of Tejashwi as the Chief Minister candidate, has not come yet.

What Does Congress Want?

When Rahul Gandhi was addressing a press conference during the Voter Adhikar Yatra, a journalist asked whether Tejashwi Yadav’s candidature would be formally announced. Rahul avoided the question, instead focusing on alliance unity and the issue of vote theft. Notably, Tejashwi Yadav was sitting right beside him at that moment.

Ten days after the yatra ended, Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Bihar’s top leadership on September 9. Once again, when the question of a future Chief Minister came up, Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru sidestepped it, saying, “The people of Bihar will decide the face.”

Political analyst and author Nalin Verma, who wrote Gopalganj to Raisina on Lalu Prasad Yadav and the politics of Bihar, sees this as Congress’s bargaining strategy. Speaking to Outlook, he said, “The hesitation to formally declare Tejashwi as the INDIA bloc’s CM face reflects Congress’s bargaining position. In politics, appearances can be misleading. Congress wants the seat-sharing formula settled first, and on its own terms. The fight for Congress isn’t about the CM's post, which is already destined for Tejashwi. It’s about seats. And every party in the alliance knows that Tejashwi will eventually be the face.”

Verma added that Tejashwi cannot afford to rebel against this bargaining strategy, since in the end, his name will inevitably be endorsed.

Demand for 'Quality' Seats for Congress

In Delhi, Rahul Gandhi chaired a three-hour-long meeting with Bihar Members of Parliament and leaders, focused on election preparedness and seat-sharing. The presence of two surprise entrants—Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar—sparked speculation. Clearly, Congress has no reservations about bringing Pappu Yadav on board, and is planning to give both leaders prominent roles in Bihar.

But this is precisely what irked Tejashwi Yadav. During the Lok Sabha elections, he had campaigned aggressively against Pappu Yadav. In contrast, Pappu Yadav enjoys a strong grip in the Seemanchal region, where Congress already holds three out of four Lok Sabha seats. In the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region, which has 24 assembly constituencies, Congress had won five in the last elections, while RJD managed only one. These equations are why Congress is keen to contest more seats in Seemanchal this time.

Speaking to Outlook about seat-sharing and leadership, Pappu Yadav said, “Rahul Gandhi’s yatra has created a positive atmosphere in Bihar, increasing people’s trust in him. So, the question is not about more or fewer seats but it’s about quality-based seats. Rahul Gandhi, Congress, and Congress workers will never compromise on respect.”

On the leadership issue, he added, “We will fight Bihar elections under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. The alliance will collectively decide who its leader will be.”

Seat-Sharing Deadlock

In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance of RJD, Congress, and Left parties) fell short of power, and much of the blame was pinned on Congress. Out of 243 seats, RJD contested 144, Congress 70, and the Left 29. The alliance secured 110 seats with 37.23 per cent vote share—just 12 short of the majority mark.

RJD won 75 seats with a strike rate of 52.08 per cent, the Left 16 with 55.17 per cent, but Congress managed only 19 with a poor 27.14 per cent strike rate. Many within the alliance later said giving Congress 70 seats was a strategic blunder. Congress, however, argued that most of its allocated constituencies were unwinnable. Pappu Yadav’s demand for “quality-based seats” echoes this grievance.

This time, seat-sharing is even more complicated. Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) is demanding 50 seats and a Deputy Chief Minister post, while the Left also wants a larger share. Naturally, Congress is expected to get fewer than the 70 seats it contested last time. Reports suggest RJD is unwilling to offer more than 50, while Congress is insisting on at least 70 or if capped at 50, then only on favorable constituencies.

The Congress, buoyed by the momentum of the Voter Adhikar Yatra, wants to cash in on this climate to bargain hard.

BJP’s Jibes at Tejashwi Yadav

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been quick to exploit Congress’s repeated evasion on Tejashwi’s Chief Minister candidature, projecting it as a sign of cracks in the INDIA bloc. When Rahul Gandhi dodged the question on Tejashwi, BJP leader and former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain quipped, “Tejashwi says Rahul Gandhi should be PM, but when Rahul was asked if Tejashwi should be Chief Minister, he dodged the question. They may walk together in the yatra, but their hearts are not united.”

BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar added, “The yatra was only for Congress’s benefit. Rahul Gandhi’s aim was to revive Congress in Bihar. It has actually weakened both RJD and Tejashwi, reducing him to Rahul’s follower.”

Interestingly, the BJP, which is calling RJD a “tail” [follower] of Congress, is repeating an old jibe that has long been used against Congress itself.

Senior journalist Manikant Thakur explained, “For years, Congress remained attached to RJD out of short-term interests. But Rahul Gandhi is trying to change that equation. Congress doesn’t want to remain a tail of RJD anymore. That’s why it is silent on Tejashwi’s candidature. Another reason is that if Congress endorses Tejashwi too early, the upper castes and other communities—who are drifting back to Congress—might recoil due to the baggage of alleged ‘Jungle Raj.’”

Congress’s 'All is Well' Claim

Speaking to Outlook, Bihar Congress Legislature Party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan dismissed talk of friction, “Our Leader of Opposition is Tejashwi Yadav. He has led the alliance meetings. As for the face, has BJP declared Nitish Kumar as its CM candidate? No. They are mocking him. There is no issue within our alliance. Several rounds of seat-sharing talks have already been held, and the face will be finalised soon.”

This isn’t the first time Congress has appeared hesitant on Tejashwi’s candidature. Earlier this year, when the Bihar Congress Committee underwent major changes—Akhilesh Pratap Singh (close to Lalu) was appointed president and 40 district heads replaced—both sides exchanged sharp words. RJD insisted Tejashwi was undoubtedly the CM face, while Congress countered by asserting it would contest more strongly than in the last election.

At the time, Pappu Yadav openly attacked Tejashwi and lobbied for Congress to contest at least 100 seats. Congress, meanwhile, used the leadership reshuffle to send a clear signal: it would no longer blindly follow RJD’s diktats.

When state in-charge Krishna Allavaru was asked why he hadn’t gone to seek Lalu Prasad’s blessings (something traditionally done by new Congress chiefs), he replied, “Our strategy is a strong Congress and a strong INDIA. That’s all that needs to be said.”