Exclusive | 'Tejashwi Yadav Reaffirmed As Grand Alliance CM Face, Pending Formal Nod From Allies': RJD Bihar President

Patna: The 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections could be announced any time. Preparations are in full swing across all political parties. The RJD recently appointed Mangani Lal Mandal as its state president, who is from the Dhanuk caste, which is classified as an Extremely Backward Class (EBC) in Bihar.

This EBC status was a key factor in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) appointing him as its new state president in June 2025. The move was viewed as a strategic effort to attract the votes of the EBC community, which makes up over 36% of Bihar's electorate.

The RJD is confident that a Grand Alliance government will be formed this time under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav. But the Congress has repeatedly refused to officially endorse him as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. This has led to speculation of a rift between the allies.

Mangani Lal Mandal (second from left) (ETV Bharat)

However, in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, state president Mangani Lal Mandal claimed that Tejashwi will be the next Chief Minister.

ETB: How are the Grand Alliance's preparations?

Mangani Lal Mandal: All the constituent parties of the INDIA Alliance are fully prepared for the assembly elections. Recently, there have been village tours, district-level meetings, and foot marches. Tejashwi Yadav has embarked on a separate tour. This is a combined effort by all the alliance's constituent parties. For 20 years, the government in Bihar has been led by Nitish Kumar, and the public is fed up. People are keen to have this government removed.

ETB: Did Nitish Kumar deceive the extremely backward classes?

Mangani Lal Mandal: For the past 20 years, Nitish Kumar treated the extremely backward community as his bonded labourers. He did not allow the extremely backward community to gain leadership during his tenure. Nitish Kumar ended the current struggle and leadership. He orchestrated a conspiracy to prevent the extremely backward community from progressing. He himself does not come from the backward community, yet he remains its leader. Ram Manohar Lohia had said that class and caste are two things that symbolise exploitation. This needs to be eradicated.

ETB: How do you assess Nitish Kumar’s core vote bank?

Mangani Lal Mandal: The Extremely backward community used to be Nitish Kumar's core vote bank. Women from the extremely backward community used to vote for him, but the situation has become such that Nitish Kumar’s party will have to pay ₹10,000 to each female voter to retain that core vote bank.

ETB: The ₹10,000 for women's self-reliance was given under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, a scheme of the Bihar state government. The transfer was made on September 26, 2025, and involved a total of ₹7,500 crore being deposited via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into the bank accounts of 75 lakh women across Bihar. From which head was the money given?

Mangani Lal Mandal: Tejashwi Yadav had promised a social security pension of ₹1,500 per month, which was previously ₹400, but now the government is providing ₹1,100 per month. The ₹1,100 per month that the government is giving has not received cabinet approval. It is also unclear from which head the ₹10,000 was given to the women. Which business will be started with the ₹10,000?" With this money is Nitish Kumar trying to woo the BJP vote bank?

ETB: Is the RJD's agenda being hijacked by the Nitish Kumar government?

Mangani Lal Mandal: Tejashwi Yadav had made several promises to the people if he formed the next government. Whether it's increasing the social security pension to ₹1,500 or providing 200 units of free electricity, the government of the day was making major announcements regarding these issues before the elections. The current government is hijacking the RJD’s agenda.

Rahul Gandhi has also said that the government is stealing their agenda. The government tweets information before any announcement. There is no budget provision for the announcement, but people are informed in advance through tweets. There is no budget provision; whatever is not included in the budget provision is sent as a supplementary provision. But this is not possible right now. Just as Nitish Kumar defrauded the extremely backward classes, women are now being defrauded in the same manner.

ETB: What about the “Mai Behin Maan Yojana’?

Mangani Lal Mandal: If we form the government, we promised to give ₹2,500 per month to the head of every family. When the government is providing everything, why aren't women being given ₹2,500? The 'Mai-Behan Maan Yojana' is a proposed welfare scheme by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress in Bihar, announced ahead of the 2025 assembly elections. The scheme aims to provide monthly financial assistance to economically vulnerable women if the parties are voted into power.

ETB: Why is there no consensus on Tejaswi's name as the Chief Minister of the Grand Alliance?

Mangani Lal Mandal: "I can't explain why Congress isn't announcing Tejashwi's name, but when on the 24th, at the Mahagathbandhan's backward conference, he announced that an India Alliance government would be formed under Tejashwi Yadav's leadership, Congress did not object. Tejashwi Yadav is the India Alliance coordinator in Bihar. All meetings have been held under Tejashwi Yadav's chairmanship."

ETB: Why is Congress objecting?

Mangani Lal Mandal: If there's no consensus, then no one is protesting either. The Rashtriya Janata Dal is the largest party in the India Alliance. The RJD has the largest support base. Some newspapers reported that the alliance will not be formed unless there is respectable seat sharing. The RJD respects Rahul Gandhi greatly. There is no controversy in the alliance. Everything will be fine very soon. Many kinds of discussions keep circulating in the media."

ETB: Why do you think Prashant Kishor is not a factor?

Mangani Lal Mandal: Prashant Kishor had made an offer to the RJD, stating that Jan Suraj Party would not field a Muslim candidate against the RJD's Muslim candidate, but with the condition that the RJD would not field its own Muslim candidate against the Jan Suraj Party candidate. Prashant Kishor is currently campaigning and is in the air. But Prashant Kishor has no ideology.

ETB: Are you afraid of PK on the issue of corruption?

Mangani Lal Mandal: Prashant Kishor has been consistently attacking politicians, exposing corruption against several ministers. Many leaders now refuse to take Prashant Kishore's name. I am not afraid of Prashant Kishore; my party is not afraid of PK. People say that Prashant Kishore has immense wealth, and he spends it. He spends a lot on campaigning and publicity, but it is unclear which direction he is taking in politics.

ETB: Why are you maintaining silence on the issue of Tej Pratap Yadav?

Mangani Lal Mandal: We don't want to comment on this topic. I firmly say that there will be no impact on our support base. Their vote bank stands firmly with the RJD. Tejashwi Yadav is a young man and is constantly reaching out to the people. People have seen his work for over 17 months, so it won't matter."

(Tej Pratap Yadav's role in Bihar politics has been defined by a split from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the party founded by his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav. Following his expulsion in May 2025, he has launched his own political party, presenting a new challenge to his younger brother, Tejashwi Yadav, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.)

ETB: How do you rate Nitish Kumar's factor in Bihar’s emerging politics?

Mangani Lal Mandal: Nitish Kumar is no longer a factor in the 2025 assembly elections. He is just somehow clinging to the Chief Minister's chair. Nitish Kumar is playing politics in the BJP's lap; he is a ‘Shikhandi’ Chief Minister. His brain is also not working. "A statement by him has surfaced on social media, in which he made an objectionable remark about Lalu Prasad Yadav, saying that when his father-in-law himself left the Chief Minister, he made his wife the Chief Minister. Such a statement is not only unparliamentary but also indecent. Such a statement is not expected from the Chief Minister. It means that he is mentally disturbed. There is something wrong with his mind."

ETB: When will the decision on seat sharing be finalised? Where is the seat-sharing issue in the India Alliance stuck?

Mangani Lal Mandal: “We are seeking votes in Bihar in the name of Tejashwi Yadav. Crowds are gathering in his name. We organised the Yatra under his leadership. The people of Bihar, including the extremely backward communities, will not compromise on the issue of Tejashwi Yadav's name. The seat-sharing within the All India Alliance will be finalised within a week, at the most in 10 days."

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