CPI-ML Backs Tejashwi Yadav as Mahagathbandhan’s CM Face, Points To Congress’s Poor Bihar Poll Show

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has confirmed that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar for the upcoming assembly elections. In an interview with news agency PTI, Bhattacharya said, “He (Tejashwi’s face) is declared for the people, there is no difference between declared and undeclared,” adding that if the grand alliance wins, Yadav will head the government.

As the state gears up for assembly elections in the next four to five months, Bhattacharya highlighted his party’s preparations at the grassroots level and expressed hopes of contesting 40–45 seats, significantly more than last time.

‘CPI(ML) Deserves More Seats’: Dipankar Bhattacharya Cites Congress’s Poor Bihar Poll Show

In the last Bihar assembly elections, CPI(ML) contested 19 seats and won 12, while Congress, despite contesting 70 seats, secured only 19. Drawing attention to this performance, Bhattacharya stated, “There is a perception since the last assembly elections that if CPI(ML) had been given more seats to contest, the Mahagathbandhan would have been in power.”

He also pointed out that CPI(ML)’s presence had a positive impact on the performance of RJD and Congress in their respective strongholds. “We believe that now CPI(ML) has a very strong presence in 24–25 districts, and if we contest these seats, it will make a difference in the results,” he added.

Asked whether he expected the same number of seats as Congress, Bhattacharya said that while Congress lacks a robust ground presence in Bihar, it remains a national party with a distinct identity. In contrast, CPI(ML) is known for its strong grassroots base in the state. “We want that the strength of all the parties in the Mahagathbandhan should be utilised properly,” he noted.

‘BJP Hijacked Nitish Kumar Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls’: Dipankar Bhattacharya Claims ‘Compulsion’

Commenting on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Bhattacharya remarked that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to be the face of the BJP-led alliance, but added, “Nitish is a compulsion for the BJP. If Nitish was not under compulsion, he would not have been hijacked by the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections.”

He also took aim at political strategist Prashant Kishor and his Jan Suraaj Party, alleging that Kishor is functioning like the BJP’s B-team. “People no longer have the same enthusiasm and excitement about him as they had earlier,” he told PTI.

Reacting to the Union government’s recent announcement of a caste-based census, Bhattacharya noted a shift in the BJP’s stance. “The BJP was against it earlier, but perhaps they announced it in view of the Bihar elections,” he said. He also remarked, “People know that the BJP does not do what it says.”

Emphasising the need for social justice, he added that reservation quotas should be expanded and extended to the private sector as well.

On the subject of Left unity, Bhattacharya opined that while unification could be a goal for the future, the current priority should be to enhance coordination among all Left-aligned parties.