Bihar politics: As Nitish stares at uncertainty, is RJD planning to portray Tejashwi as CM face?

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is planning to portray Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face for the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls.

Patna, June 29: The politics in Bihar is getting interesting with each passing day ahead of the all-important 2019 general elections likely to take place in April/May next year. If on the one hand, the ruling Janata Dal (United) (JD(U))-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance government is facing internal turmoil, on the other hand, the main opposition party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), is planning to portray Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face.

The Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled in 2020 and the RJD has realised its mistake of making Nitish Kumar the CM of the state after the mahagathbandhan or grand alliance won the Assembly polls in 2015. During the 2015 elections, the RJD, the JD(U) and the Congress came together to form the grand alliance to defeat the BJP.

While the mahagathbandhan of the three political parties succeeded in defeating the BJP in the 2015 elections, its success was short-lived after JD(U) president Nitish decided to switch sides and join hands with the BJP last year.

Nitish's backstabbing forced the RJD and the Congress to leave the government as the alliance government of the JD(U) and the BJP came to power in Bihar.

Now, rumours suggest that the scion of the Yadav family will be the CM face of the RJD-Congress alliance in the 2020 Assembly elections in the eastern state.

When news agency, ANI, posed the question to the Congress, it gave an ambivalent answer, neither confirming nor denying the reports of the former deputy CM as the CM face of the alliance partners in the upcoming Assembly polls.

"I can't say anything right now. The first priority is the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Bihar Assembly elections are in 2020. We will see what the alliance dynamics and situation will be at that time. Leaders like Rahul Gandhi ji (the Congress president) and Lalu Prasad Yadav ji (the RJD supremo) will discuss about it," Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Congress MLA from Bihar, was quoted as saying by ANI.

Can't say anything right now, first priority is 2019, Bihar elections are in 2020. Will see what alliance dynamics and situation is there then. Leaders like Rahul ji and Lalu ji will discuss:Shakeel Ahmed Khan,Congress MLA on if Congress will accept Tejashwi Yadav as CM face pic.twitter.com/TSWoTFohT2

— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2018

It may be recalled that recently in an interview, 28-year-old Tejashwi has expressed his support to Rahul as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition in the 2019 polls. He also shares good rapport with Rahul.

However, Tejashwi's support to Rahul holds no meaning till the Opposition makes a formal announcement to fight against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. Moreover, all the parties in the Opposition also have to agree to Rahul's name as their PM candidate. Thus uncertainty surrounds the very formation of the grand alliance among the opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Recently, Tejashwi in strong words stated that the RJD won't allow Nitish to come back to the mahagathbandhan as rumours indicated that the disgruntled Bihar CM wants to re-join hands with his former alliance partners.