Mukesh Sahani, a name that may not be instantly familiar outside Bihar’s political circles, has carved an extraordinary path. From designing sets for Bollywood superstars like Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Devdas’ and Salman Khan in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, Sahani has now emerged as a significant political figure, securing the Mahagathbandhan’s nomination for the crucial role of Deputy Chief Minister in the upcoming 2025 Bihar assembly election.
Expressing his long-held aspirations, Sahani stated, “I had been waiting for this moment for three-and-a-half long years,” shortly after his nomination, with Tejashwi Yadav named as the Chief Ministerial candidate.
Born in 1981 in Darbhanga, Sahani hails from a fisherman family and is affectionately known as the ‘Son of Mallah,’ a title honouring his community. His journey began at the age of 19 when he left Bihar for Mumbai. There, he worked as a salesman before entering the film industry as a set designer. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish his own company, Mukesh Cine World Private Limited, while contributing to major Bollywood hits.
However, Sahani’s path took a different turn in 2013. Inspired by leaders like BR Ambedkar and former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur, he returned to Bihar with a mission: to champion the cause of the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), who constitute over a third of the state’s population.
Having previously allied with the NDA in the 2020 assembly polls, Sahani later parted ways with the coalition when his party’s MLAs defected to the BJP.
The announcement of Sahani’s nomination as the opposition alliance’s deputy CM candidate was made by senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot. Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) is a key constituent of the Grand Alliance, and the party has secured a seat-sharing agreement to contest at least 11 seats in the upcoming polls.
Despite the Nishad community (Sahani’s community) making up only 2.5% of Bihar’s population and the VIP contesting just 15 out of 243 seats, Sahani’s strategic importance to the Mahagathbandhan is undeniable. His selection as the deputy CM face is a calculated move to bolster the alliance’s appeal among backward and marginalized communities.
The path to this nomination was not without its challenges. Reports indicate that the VIP had considered leaving the Mahagathbandhan due to dissatisfaction with the seat-sharing arrangement, only agreeing to stay after intervention from Rahul Gandhi.
Sahani is widely recognized as a leader with considerable influence, capable of mobilizing voters across various constituencies.