India, Oct. 23 -- RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was on Thursday officially declared the chief ministerial candidate of the opposition Mahagathbandhan for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. "We have decided to contest the elections with Tejashwi Yadav as our CM face," senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot announced. Meanwhile, Mukesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has been named the Deputy Chief Minister candidate if the alliance comes to power.

Interestingly, this is one of the rare occasions when the name of a Deputy CM has been announced in advance. All seven parties of the Mahagathbandhan, including the Congress and Left parties, endorsed the decision, presenting a united front at the press conference amid an ongoing tussle...