- Tejashwi Yadav unilaterally declares himself Grand Alliance CM face in Bihar.
- Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav attend rally; Rahul stays silent on CM issue.
- Tejashwi brands Nitish Kumar as “copycat Chief Minister.”
- Rahul accuses Election Commission and BJP of “stealing elections.”
GG News Bureau
Patna, 30th Aug: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday unilaterally declared himself the chief ministerial face of the Grand Alliance in Bihar. The announcement came at a rally in Ara, attended by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Despite sharing the dais, Rahul Gandhi remained silent as Tejashwi staked his claim, a move seen as a bold assertion of leadership within the alliance.
Addressing the rally, Tejashwi Yadav launched a sharp attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, branding him a “copycat Chief Minister” who only replicated policies without originality. “Tejashwi is moving ahead. The government is following behind,” he said, asking the crowd whether they wanted an “original chief minister” or a “duplicate CM,” clearly positioning himself as the “original” choice for Bihar’s top job.
The rally formed part of the ongoing Voter Adhikar Yatra, launched on August 17 in Sasaram by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, which has traversed over a dozen districts and is scheduled to conclude in Patna on September 1.
Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, used the platform to target the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. He alleged a “partnership” between the two, accusing them of plotting to steal the upcoming election.
“Our pressure is to change the behaviour of the Election Commission. We will not let you steal the election in Bihar. You stole in Maharashtra. You stole in Haryana. In Karnataka too, we showed votes were stolen. We will not let it happen here,” Rahul said.
Tejashwi Yadav echoed the charge, attacking the ECI as a “Godi Aayog.” “The Election Commission is no longer the Election Commission. It has become a cell of the BJP. To save democracy, the constitution, and the right to vote, this yatra has been launched. At the ground level, people have lost faith in the Commission,” he claimed.
The rally was marked not only by fiery speeches but also by Tejashwi’s clear attempt to seize the leadership mantle of the opposition in Bihar — with Rahul Gandhi’s silence adding to the intrigue around the alliance’s electoral strategy.
