Soon after senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot officially announced RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial face of the Grand Alliance, leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) launched sharp attacks on the opposition bloc, calling the decision too little, too late.
The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) took a dig at the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), claiming that under pressure from Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Congress had to concede. Neeraj Kumar, the JD-U MLC and chief spokesperson, said: “A disgruntled Babua (Tejashwi Yadav) was given a lollipop.”
Reacting to X, Neeraj Kumar wrote: "Too late, brother Nandlala! The first phase is over, and the disgruntled Babua has been handed a lollipop. The one under whose leadership the BJP suffered crushing defeats in 2019 and 2024 has been made the leader! On November 14, the NDA will form a government under Nitish Kumar, and Babua will be sent an organic lollipop."
BJP MP from Patna Sahib, Ravi Shankar Prasad mocked the Grand Alliance’s announcement, saying: "It's a good thing that they have arrived, but is there any real chance of winning? The people of Bihar are ready to move forward with Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, and a decisive victory is expected."
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Katihar, Tariq Anwar, downplayed the controversy, saying the announcement was merely a formality. “Everyone already knew it. Anyone with a little political understanding knew that the Mahagathbandhan would contest the upcoming elections under Tejashwi Yadav’s leadership,” Anwar said.
The announcement came after intense negotiations between the RJD and Congress over seat-sharing and the chief ministerial face. Senior Congress leaders from Delhi, including Ashok Gehlot, flew to Patna to resolve the deadlock.
At the joint press conference, Gehlot declared Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face for this election. He also announced that Mukesh Sahani will be the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar if the Grand Alliance government is formed in the state.