The opposition Grand Alliance is close to finalizing its seat sharing ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. There seems to be a consensus within the alliance that if it comes to power, three deputy chief ministers will be appointed from Dalit, Muslim and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) communities.
Senior RJD and Congress leaders gave this information on Wednesday.
The chief ministerial face from the Grand Alliance will be Tejashwi Yadav, who comes from a backward class and has been Deputy Chief Minister twice. However, till now the allies have not formally approved his name. Tejashwi Yadav will face NDA Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose government currently has two deputy chief ministers – Samrat Chaudhary (OBC) and Vijay Kumar Sinha (Bhumihar).
Seat sharing formula and strategy of Deputy Chief Minister
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said that the seat sharing formula has almost been decided. Under this, RJD will contest on 125 seats, Congress on 50-55 seats and Left parties on about 25 seats. The remaining seats will be divided among other allies like Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Lok Janshakti Party (led by Ram Vilas Paswan’s brother Pashupati Kumar Paras) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
Tiwari said, “This formula is a clear indication that Tejashwi Yadav has emerged as the undisputed chief ministerial face of the Grand Alliance. This is his masterstroke strategy, through which he wants to change the Yadav-centric image of RJD and give a visible place in power to Dalits, Most Backward Classes and minorities.”
What is the view of Congress?
Congress leader Praveen Singh Kushwaha said that this proposal of three Deputy Chief Ministers reflects Rahul Gandhi’s message of social inclusion. He said, “This symbolic decision is an attempt to give a more comprehensive form to the politics of social justice.” VIP spokesperson Dev Jyoti said that this formula shows the foresight of Tejashwi Yadav. He claimed that “By Thursday evening, Tejashwi ji will be declared the chief ministerial candidate of the grand alliance and one of his deputy chief ministers will be our party leader Mukesh Sahni.”
However, it is unusual to announce positions such as Deputy Chief Minister before elections. The RJD has not won any election on its own in the last 20 years and in the assembly elections held five years ago, the grand alliance fell just short of the majority mark as smaller communities quietly mobilized against Yadav-dominated politics.
Reaction of opposition parties
Ram Pukad Sharma, general secretary and spokesperson of the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha, took a dig at the Grand Alliance, saying, “The leaders of the Grand Alliance are experts in building castles in the air. They know that their alliance will not even reach three digits, yet they are making such announcements. They should also declare the names of their cabinet.”
Anil Kumar Singh of Jan Suraj Party termed it as a “false message” before the elections. He said, “It is difficult for him to achieve the magic figure of 123. This plan has been brought so that VIP’s Mukesh Sahni, who has declared himself the next deputy chief minister, does not switch sides. Division of power on such a large scale may give rise to overlaps and internal rivalries in the bureaucracy. It may also weaken Tejashwi’s own dominance.”
History of Deputy Chief Ministers in Bihar
There have been 10 Deputy Chief Ministers in Bihar so far. The first Deputy Chief Minister, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, established a model of co-governance with Shri Krishna Sinha for more than 11 years. Later, socialist leader Karpoori Thakur became the Chief Minister after serving as Deputy Chief Minister for 329 days. Some short-term experiments also took place on this post. Jagdev Prasad of Shoshit Samaj Dal held this post for only four days and Ram Jaipal Singh Yadav of Congress held this post for 220 days in the 1970s. BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi completed the second longest tenure in the country (10 years, 316 days) after Anugrah Narayan Sinha (11 years, 94 days). Tejashwi Yadav held the post of Deputy Chief Minister for a total of more than three years in two terms in the Grand Alliance governments between 2015 and 2025. During the NDA era, Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi jointly held this post for 632 days from 16 November 2020 to 9 August 2022. Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha have been Deputy Chief Ministers for about 252 days from 28 January 2024 till now.
Patna political analyst Dhirendra Kumar says that the post of Deputy Chief Minister is a tool of political balance. “The formula of three deputy chief ministers can benefit Tejashwi Yadav at many levels. It weakens the charge of dynasty rule, sends a message of distance from Yadav-centric politics and assures visible participation of Dalits, backward and Muslim sections in power,” he said. There are a total of 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly, and 123 seats are needed for majority. As the elections are approaching, this strategy of the Grand Alliance is being considered as a big bet to solve the social equations and move towards power.