Mukesh Sahani has been named the Deputy Chief Ministerial candidate for the Mahagathbandhan in poll bound Bihar, parties representing the Opposition bloc announced on Thursday.
The alliance, which includes the RJD, Congress, Left parties, and Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), has already picked Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial face. Sahani’s selection could be seen as a strategic move to consolidate support among Bihar’s fisherman and other backward communities and strengthen the alliance’s social base ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections.
Sahani’s induction as the deputy face is also a political comeback for the former NDA ally. Once aligned with the BJP, he has now joined the opposition camp, bringing with him both social influence and grassroots organisation capabilities. His presence in the alliance might help Mahagathbandhan reach voter segments that previously leaned toward the NDA.
From ally to adversary: Sahani’s fallout with BJP
Sahani’s political journey has seen several shifts. He initially campaigned for the BJP during the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, after being observed and supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was brought into the political mainstream as a representative of the Nishad community, a voter group considered crucial in Bihar’s caste dynamics.
However, the BJP failed to deliver on its promise of granting Scheduled Caste status to the Nishad community, prompting Sahani to part ways. He founded the Nishad Vikas Sangh in 2015 to mobilise his community and later launched the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) in 2018.
VIP joined the Mahagathbandhan for the 2019 general elections but did not win any seats. In 2020, his party contested as part of the NDA, winning four Assembly seats.
Sahani later served as Bihar’s Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries until his dismissal in March 2022, marking the end of his stint with the BJP-led government.
The rise of the ‘Son of Mallah’
Born on 31 March 1981 in a Nishad family, Sahani left Bihar at 19 to move to Mumbai, where he worked as a salesman before joining Bollywood as a stage designer. He eventually founded Mukesh Cineworld Private Limited, gaining recognition in the film industry.
In 2010, Sahani turned to social work, founding the Sahani Samaj Kalyan Sanstha to improve education and organisation within the Nishad community, with offices in Patna and Darbhanga.
His grassroots initiatives and community leadership earned him the moniker ‘Son of Mallah’, reflecting both his identity and his commitment to representing the marginalized fisherman community in Bihar.
With the Mahagathbandhan now naming him as its Deputy CM face, Sahani’s rise highlights Bihar’s evolving political dynamics, where caste equations, community mobilisation, and coalition-building are decisive. For the alliance, he represents both symbolic inclusion and electoral strategy; for Sahani, it marks a major political comeback with potential influence over the state’s power structure.
The alliance, which includes the RJD, Congress, Left parties, and Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), has already picked Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial face. Sahani’s selection could be seen as a strategic move to consolidate support among Bihar’s fisherman and other backward communities and strengthen the alliance’s social base ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections.
Sahani’s induction as the deputy face is also a political comeback for the former NDA ally. Once aligned with the BJP, he has now joined the opposition camp, bringing with him both social influence and grassroots organisation capabilities. His presence in the alliance might help Mahagathbandhan reach voter segments that previously leaned toward the NDA.
From ally to adversary: Sahani’s fallout with BJP
Sahani’s political journey has seen several shifts. He initially campaigned for the BJP during the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, after being observed and supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was brought into the political mainstream as a representative of the Nishad community, a voter group considered crucial in Bihar’s caste dynamics.
However, the BJP failed to deliver on its promise of granting Scheduled Caste status to the Nishad community, prompting Sahani to part ways. He founded the Nishad Vikas Sangh in 2015 to mobilise his community and later launched the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) in 2018.
VIP joined the Mahagathbandhan for the 2019 general elections but did not win any seats. In 2020, his party contested as part of the NDA, winning four Assembly seats.
Sahani later served as Bihar’s Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries until his dismissal in March 2022, marking the end of his stint with the BJP-led government.
The rise of the ‘Son of Mallah’
Born on 31 March 1981 in a Nishad family, Sahani left Bihar at 19 to move to Mumbai, where he worked as a salesman before joining Bollywood as a stage designer. He eventually founded Mukesh Cineworld Private Limited, gaining recognition in the film industry.
In 2010, Sahani turned to social work, founding the Sahani Samaj Kalyan Sanstha to improve education and organisation within the Nishad community, with offices in Patna and Darbhanga.
His grassroots initiatives and community leadership earned him the moniker ‘Son of Mallah’, reflecting both his identity and his commitment to representing the marginalized fisherman community in Bihar.
With the Mahagathbandhan now naming him as its Deputy CM face, Sahani’s rise highlights Bihar’s evolving political dynamics, where caste equations, community mobilisation, and coalition-building are decisive. For the alliance, he represents both symbolic inclusion and electoral strategy; for Sahani, it marks a major political comeback with potential influence over the state’s power structure.
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