RJD MLA Vijay Mandal said in an interview that the party and its members are expecting party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav to be made the Chief Minister right after Fagua (Holi).

His statement has come at a time when Nitish Kumar’s party has taken a severe blow after the exit of Upendra Kushwaha on 20 February, with speculations of several other leaders to follow him.

Mandal referred to a previous ‘promise’ made by the Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United)-JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar that the 2025 State Assembly polls would be fought under the leadership of Tejaswi Yadav.

“We trust the honourable Chief Minister Nitish ji. 2025 is far away. We expect that by March itself, Tejaswi ji would lead Bihar,” Dinara MLA Mandal said in an interview.

Speculations about Tejaswi becoming the chief minister have been doing the rounds ever since the two parties came into an alliance to form the government in August 2022.

Bihar Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Jagdanand Singh had affirmed in September 2022 itself that in 2023 Tejaswi would be made the chief minister of Bihar.

“The country is waiting for Nitish and Bihar, for Tejaswi,” he said at the time.

JD(U) spokesperson Lalan Singh replied to Mandal’s comments that the name for the chief ministerial face in the 2025 polls has not been decided yet.

The ‘special deal’ between JD(U) and RJD to make Tejaswi the chief minister face was precisely the reason for the exit of Kushwaha from the party, who said that the alliance with RJD has ruined the legacy of the politics of ‘social justice’ in Bihar.

Kushwaha, disgruntled at being sidelined in the alliance, asked Nitish to reveal the ‘special deal’ he made with the RJD.

Meanwhile, Tejaswi Yadav has said that he is not in a hurry to become the chief minister and is focusing on the 2024 elections.

On Singh’s comments, he replied, “There is nothing wrong with it. 2025 is far away. Nitish Kumar has the capability, we are working with him.”