NEW DELHI: The Mahagathbandhan on Saturday unanimously elected Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as the opposition coalition’s leader in the Bihar assembly, a decision taken at the alliance’s first meeting since its drubbing in the recent state polls. The meeting was convened by Yadav ahead of the five-day assembly session beginning Monday. RJD MLA Bhai Virendra told reporters, “Tejashwi Yadav has been elected leader of the Mahagathbandhan in the state legislature. Naturally, he will also lead our party in the assembly.” Congress MLC Samir Kumar Singh, a working president of the grand old party’s state unit, noted that the choice was unanimous. “We have sufficient numbers, and he (Tejashwi) will also be the Leader of the Opposition,” he remarked. The Mahagathbandhan was routed in the elections, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retaining power with 202 seats. The RJD-led alliance, which had won 110 seats against the NDA’s 125 in 2020, managed just 35 seats this time — 25 of them from the RJD. Singh added that members of both Houses voiced “concern” over how the elections were conducted. “These were anything but free and fair. The SIR, first carried out in Bihar, remains questionable. It’s no surprise there’s so much political friction in a state like West Bengal,” he observed. He further noted that the alliance would “continue to raise its voice inside the House on issues concerning the people and confront the BJP-led coalition if it backtracks on promises made during the elections.”
