As the Bihar Assembly elections draw near, speculation is rife about whether the 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) will formally declare Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate. However, a lack of consensus on this front has the potential to exacerbate existing rifts within the opposition camp.

The Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, Congress, Left parties, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), aims to present a united front against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The NDA comprises the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. A failure to name a CM candidate could weaken the opposition's challenge.

While the RJD views Tejashwi Yadav, the former Deputy CM, as the obvious choice, Congress's support has been lukewarm. Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot and former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel have been in consultations with alliance partners in Patna to resolve seat-sharing disagreements. According to sources, the INDIA bloc is poised to announce Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate. Tejashwi Yadav himself has hinted that an announcement is imminent.

The delay in officially naming Tejashwi Yadav as the CM candidate could stem from the Congress party's concerns. Despite RJD having the largest bloc with 143 seats, Congress has so far refrained from announcing Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face. Some analysts believe that Congress has been lukewarm to the idea, even though he is being seen as an obvious choice in case of its poll victory.

Within the NDA, there's a strong belief that the opposition's CM face issue puts them in a firm position to tackle the divisions in the opposition camp. The RJD believes that Tejashwi's experience as Deputy CM and his youthful image will boost the alliance's prospects against Nitish Kumar's "tired" persona. However, the NDA is also likely to use the framing of charges against Tejashwi and his parents in a corruption case to their advantage.

Beyond the CM candidate question, seat-sharing disputes have also triggered tensions within the Mahagathbandhan. Congress and VIP had reportedly demanded 70 and 50 seats respectively, but RJD resisted, seeking to retain a majority. This has led to candidates from different alliance partners contesting against each other in some constituencies. To address this, efforts are underway to avoid such "friendly fights".

Tejashwi Yadav has dismissed rumors of discord within the Mahagathbandhan, assuring that all questions surrounding the alliance will be answered soon. He has also criticized incumbent CM Nitish Kumar, labeling him as "the most helpless CM in the country".

The Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results on November 14, are crucial for both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. In the current Assembly, the NDA holds 131 of the 243 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan controls 111. The lack of a unified CM face and the presence of internal conflicts could prove detrimental to the Mahagathbandhan's chances of success.