"Why are they troubled if a son of mallah becomes Deputy CM?": Mukesh Sahani lashes out at BJP

New Delhi [India], October 24 : VIP chief and Mahagathbandhan's Deputy Chief Minister candidate Mukesh Sahani on Friday lashed out at the BJP, asking why they are troubled if a "son of Mallah" community has aspirations to become a Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.
Speaking to reporters, Sahani said, "This is the same BJP that says to the minority community to leave the nation and settle somewhere else. Why is there pain in the stomach of the BJP that a person from the extremely backward class is announced as the Deputy CM face? They should not worry about people from the minority community; they should worry about Shahnawaz Hussain. Don't do hate politics. My question is - Why are they pained or troubled if a son of Mallah becomes Deputy CM in the state?"
The Mallah, Nishad, and Sahni communities constitute a significant vote bank of the Vikassheel Insaan Party.
The VIP chief also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state, saying that "he comes to Bihar to mislead people".
Asked about Mahagathbandhan's "friendly fights" across multiple constituencies, Sahani said that the alliance has reached consensus on various issues, and several candidates have taken their names back.
"On various seats, we have reached consensus, and candidates have taken their names back. One of my candidates from Babubarhi has taken their name back, while in Chainpur, our candidate has been allotted, and RJD's candidate has taken their name back," the VIP chief added.
On Thursday, the Mahagathbandhan cleared the air regarding its lead face, as Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav was declared the Chief Ministerial face of the Opposition.
Apart from Tejashwi, Sahani was declared as the alliance's Deputy CM nominee for the state polls.
The move was announced during a joint Mahagathbandhan press briefing in Patna, which featured top leaders of the alliance, including Congress's Ashok Gehlot, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Vikassheel Insaan Party's Mukesh Sahani, and CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.
The 2025 Bihar elections will have the main contest between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has staked claims to all 243 seats in the state.
The Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14.