On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot held a significant meeting with RJD president Lalu Prasad. This encounter was seen as an effort to ease the growing friction with their ally, which has caused considerable turbulence within the INDIA bloc in the context of the upcoming Bihar elections.
Following their discussion, Mr. Gehlot stressed the critical importance of securing a victory in Bihar for the Opposition alliance, especially after their recent setback in a key state like Maharashtra. However, he sidestepped questions regarding whether the Congress was prepared to name Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD supremo’s son and presumed successor, as their Chief Ministerial candidate.
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When pressed by journalists about the Congress’ stance on Mr. Yadav—who had recently called for Rahul Gandhi to be the “next Prime Minister”—the former Rajasthan Chief Minister retorted, “Why do you want me to make such an announcement?”
Mr. Gehlot highlighted the strong bond between Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, observed during their “Voter Adhikar Yatra” across the state two months prior. He assured that “They will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time.”
It is widely speculated that the Congress’ hesitation to fully endorse Mr. Yadav—who has been advocating for a “Tejashwi government”—has caused considerable annoyance for their prominent regional ally.
Out of the 243 Assembly seats, the RJD is fielding candidates in 143 constituencies, and the Congress in 61. Despite this, a “friendly fight” is expected between the two parties in at least five constituencies.
Adding to the complexity, Congress candidates are also slated to compete against the CPI, another crucial ally within the alliance, in three additional seats.
Despite these overlapping candidacies, Mr. Gehlot, who had earlier dismissed a “friendly fight in five or ten seats” as minor upon his arrival, expressed optimism after meeting Mr. Prasad. He stated, “we hope things will be ironed out by the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers tomorrow.”
A logistical challenge remains, however, as five of these contentious seats were part of the first phase of elections, where the deadline for withdrawing nominations had already passed on Monday, October 20.
Accompanied by Krishna Allavaru, the AICC Bihar in-charge—who has faced criticism from some state party leaders for the current situation—Mr. Gehlot emphasized the Congress’ serious commitment to the Assembly polls, even in a state where the party’s prominence has waned.
Gehlot reiterated, “It is extremely important for us to win the polls, especially after the alliance, including Congress, experienced a defeat in Maharashtra. The outcome of the Bihar elections will undoubtedly influence the national political landscape. It is crucial for the NDA, which has sown societal divisions and mishandled the economy, to face a significant challenge. The people of Bihar are astute enough to recognize this.”
Addressing concerns about the Mahagathbandhan—the long-standing coalition of Congress, RJD, and Left parties—not yet having held a joint press conference in the election-bound state, both Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Allavaru jointly affirmed, “It will take place tomorrow.”
Mr. Gehlot further claimed that “the internal turmoil within the NDA is actually more severe than what we observe in our own camp. However, he lamented that the media tends to overlook this due to its perceived bias towards the ruling coalition.”
The 243-member Bihar Assembly is scheduled to undergo elections in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the official results expected to be declared on November 14, 2025.