From Set Designer to Kingmaker: Mukesh Sahani’s Bold Power Move Upstages Tejashwi Yadav

In a dramatic twist at Patna’s Hotel Maurya today, the Mahagathbandhan’s carefully laid plans for the Bihar Assembly elections were nearly derailed by a last-minute power play from Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) leader Mukesh Sahani. Scheduled for a noon press conference to anoint Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav as the coalition’s chief ministerial face for the November 6 and 11 polls, the opposition alliance found itself in chaos when Sahani, a Bollywood-set-designer-turned-politician, issued a bombshell ultimatum: name him deputy chief minister or risk his exit. The high-stakes standoff, unfolding in a luxury suite, exposed the fragile unity of Bihar’s opposition as it scrambles to challenge the NDA’s dominance.

The stage was set for Yadav to take center stage, but Sahani’s absence from the pre-presser huddle sent shockwaves. Sources told NDTV that Sahani, holed up in his Maurya suite alongside Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot and other alliance heavyweights, demanded a “respectable place” in the coalition, citing his advocacy for Bihar’s marginalized Mallah, Sahani, and Nishad communities, which wield a potent 9% of the vote. “I accepted 15 seats instead of 24 because I expected the deputy CM post,” Sahani reportedly argued. “Without it, how do I face my supporters?” His refusal to join the presser without a deal forced a frantic recalibration among alliance leaders, who knew his exit could fracture their voter base in key Mithilanchal and Seemanchal constituencies.

As the clock ticked, Yadav personally intervened, promising Sahani a role in the government if the Mahagathbandhan triumphs. But Sahani held firm, leveraging his community’s electoral clout. Gehlot, sensing disaster, phoned Congress HQ in Delhi, securing approval to name Sahani as a presumptive deputy chief minister. The Left’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, waiting downstairs, gave his nod, averting a collapse. By the time the presser kicked off, Yadav was confirmed as the chief ministerial face, with Sahani unveiled as his deputy—a stunning elevation for a man who once crafted Bollywood sets but now holds Bihar’s political fate in his hands.

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Sahani’s gambit was no fluke. Having already squeezed the alliance for 15 seats, two legislative council spots, and a Rajya Sabha berth during seat-sharing talks, he timed his deputy CM demand perfectly. The Mallah community, a Nishad sub-caste, is a deciding factor in dozens of constituencies, and Sahani’s threat to walk—potentially contesting solo or forging a smaller alliance—could have bled crucial votes. “Letting him go was too risky,” an RJD insider admitted. With the NDA’s 2020 victory hinging on razor-thin margins, the Mahagathbandhan couldn’t afford to alienate a leader who could sway thousands in battleground seats.

The drama underscores Bihar’s high-stakes electoral chess. While Yadav’s anointment, backed by Rahul Gandhi, quells Congress-RJD tensions, Sahani’s rise signals a broader balancing act. Sources hint he won’t be the only deputy CM candidate, as the alliance juggles ambitions of other bigwigs. Gehlot, dispatched to Patna to iron out disputes, praised Yadav’s “youth and commitment,” but Sahani’s coup stole the headlines. As the opposition rallies behind its new power duo, the question looms: can Sahani’s community clout and Yadav’s charisma topple the NDA, or will internal egos crack the coalition before voters even reach the booths?

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