Tejashwi Yadav has cleared the air around the chief ministerial face in the INDIA bloc alliance. During his yatra, he asserted that there was “no confusion” in choosing the candidate and that the announcement would come at the “right time.”
Speaking in Jehanabad, he said, “There is no confusion over the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). It will be decided at the right time. People of Bihar want a change this time… Rather, it is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who looks tired and is no longer in a position to govern the state.”
Just a fortnight after Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra, which covered 23 districts and highlighted issues like alleged “vote chori” and the SIR matter, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav flagged off his five-day Bihar Adhikar Yatra from Patna.
On the first two days, he visited Jehanabad and Nalanda, emphasizing that unemployment and women’s safety would be the central themes of his campaign.
“This yatra aims at raising the pitch for ensuring all-around progress of the state, including quality education, better healthcare services, and new industries. We want to ensure employment and women’s safety,” Tejashwi said on Monday.
As Bihar heads into a high-pitched election season, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly plans to cover 11 districts, including Nalanda, Begusarai, Khagaria, Supaul, Madhepura, Saharsa, Samastipur, Ujiyarpur, and Vaishali. Raghopur, his Assembly constituency, also falls on the route.
This new yatra is aimed at reaching districts that Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra did not cover. On September 15, addressing a rally in Kanti, Muzaffarpur district, Tejashwi had called on people to support him across all 243 constituencies.
“Tejashwi will fight everywhere. Work together and oust this government,” he declared. He also targeted Nitish Kumar, branding him a “copycat CM,” and asked the crowd whether they wanted an “original” or a “duplicate.”
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav backed Tejashwi’s remarks, while Congress leaders maintained that the decision on the chief ministerial face would ultimately rest with the people of Bihar.
Seated in a bus decorated with yatra banners in Masaurhi, Patna, Tejashwi told supporters: “This land has given me everything. As long as I can fight for the rights of the poor, the youth, and women, I will never remain silent.”
He thanked people for their support during the Voter Adhikar Yatra and urged them to extend the same encouragement to his current campaign. As the convoy rolled into Jehanabad, loudspeakers blared a catchy song — “Aae, aae, RJDiye aae” — proclaiming the RJD’s return to power. Addressing young voters in Islampur, Nalanda, Tejashwi renewed his pledge of jobs and recruitment if the Mahagathbandhan wins.
“This journey is not about me,” he said. “It is for the unemployed, for building factories, and for shaping a new Bihar free from crime and corruption.
