Grand alliance has declared Tejashwi Yadav as CM candidate for Bihar elections 2025. A promise has been made to make Mukesh Sahni the Deputy Chief Minister. The decision came after pressure from Sahni, who had demanded a respectable post in exchange for 15 seats.
Patna: It has been announced that Tejashwi Yadav will become the Chief Minister upon the victory of the Grand Alliance in the Bihar Assembly elections 2025, but along with this announcement, a promise has also been made to make Mukesh Sahni the Deputy Chief Minister. Mukesh Sahni, who was once a set designer in Bollywood, did not achieve this position just like that. This announcement is the result of an hour-long high-voltage emergency meeting held at Hotel Maurya, which shook the top leaders of the Grand Alliance. Sahni’s party, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), has got 15 seats in the alliance, but Sahni preferred ‘respectable position’ more than seats.
Sahni’s refusal to attend press conference
The Grand Alliance had earlier called a joint press conference at 11:30 am on Thursday. But just an hour before the press meet was to begin, the atmosphere calmed down. One by one the leaders started disappearing from the press meet venue. The reason behind this silence was Mukesh Sahni. According to sources, Sahni was staying in a suite of this hotel, but he clearly refused to come to the press meet. His message was clear to the alliance parties that he wanted a respectable position, not just a share in seats.
How will I be able to face my supporters?
Sources reveal that Sahni put forward her condition. After compromising on 15 seats, this post had become a political compulsion for Sahni. His reasoning was, “If Yadav will be the face of the alliance, I will become his deputy. I agreed to less than 25 seats because I thought I would get the post of Deputy Chief Minister. If that doesn’t happen, how will I be able to go to my supporters and ask for votes?”
This demand of Sahni created a stir within the alliance. In the electoral environment, the displeasure of Sahni, who managed the votes of the Mallah community, directly meant the loss of a large vote bank, which could pose a threat of defeat to the Grand Alliance.
Gehlot turned the phone to Delhi, got green signal
Tejashwi Yadav personally tried to convince Sahni, but Sahni was not ready for it. Seeing the situation becoming delicate, Congress’s observer Ashok Gehlot, known as the ‘magician’, took charge and immediately dialed Delhi.
Understanding the seriousness of Sahni’s condition, the Congress high command gave the green signal to make him the Deputy Chief Minister. After this, Left leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, who was waiting for the press conference below, was also called to the emergency meeting and consent was taken.
After this dramatic development, the press conference had to be postponed for an hour and in the afternoon Ashok Gehlot made a formal announcement from the stage that if the government is formed, Mukesh Sahni will be the Deputy Chief Minister, and if needed, Deputy CMs can also be made from other sections.
In this way, Mukesh Sahni raised his political stature and proved that in Bihar’s coalition politics, community influence and applying pressure at the right time matter more than seat numbers. However, Sahni later denied any pressure and said it was simply a delay in the announcement.