"Sweeps the board clean": RLP founder Hanuman Beniwal praises Ashok Gehlot's intervention ahead of Bihar assembly polls

Bikaner (Rajasthan) [India], October 24 (ANI): Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) founder and president Hanuman Beniwal praised the intervention by senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot amid speculations of a widening rift within the Mahagathbandhan over the issue of "friendly fight" on some assembly seats in Bihar.
"Wherever Ashok Gehlot goes, he sweeps the board clean. Wherever Bhajanlal's foot even touches, things fall apart," Beniwal told reporters here.
The Mahagathbandhan on Thursday cleared the air regarding its lead face in the alliance, with the declaration of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Leader of Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial face.
Vikassheel Insaan Party's Mukesh 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 saw top leaders of the INDIA bloc, including senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot and CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.
While making the announcement, Ashok Gehlot described Tejashwi Yadav as a young person, highlighting his promising future and affirming the people of Bihar's support for him.
"Everyone should be worried (about the situation in the country). This is why I can say that, after consulting Kharge ji, Rahul ji, and others sitting here, Tejashwi Yadav is the CM candidate for this election. He is a young person. He has a long future and the public will support him," Gehlot said while addressing a press conference here.
Following his declaration as the Mahagathbandhan's CM candidate, Tejashwi Yadav stated that all parties have come together for the advancement of Bihar. He asserted that the Opposition's Mahagathbandhan will together throw out the "useless" 20-year-old double-engine government in the state.
The 2025 Bihar elections will have the main contest between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan.
NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 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) Liberation led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist), 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. (ANI)