Mukesh Sahani on his Deputy CM bid, the Mallah voter, and breaking with Nitish

Mukesh Sahani, founder of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and the Mahagathbandhan’s nominee for Deputy Chief Minister, is among the most talked-about names in poll-bound Bihar. Once an ally of the National Democratic Alliance, Sahani is now with the Mahagathbandhan.

In an exclusive conversation with Newslaundry, Sahani challenges the narrative that his community, comprising the Mallah, Nishad, and Bind groups, makes up only 2.5 percent of Bihar’s population. He claims their numbers are closer to 11 percent, yet they remain underrepresented in power.

But what led to his fallout with the NDA? And is the opposition alliance backing him out of conviction or compulsion?

Sahani accuses Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of “breaking” his party by poaching its MLAs, even though, he says, VIP played a key role in keeping Kumar in power. “We’re not asking for favours, we’re asking for our rights,” Sahani says, calling Nitish Kumar a “mentally exhausted leader” and pitching Tejashwi Yadav as Bihar’s new alternative.

Watch.

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