Major Controversy Erupts as Top 5 INDIA Bloc Leaders Missing from Mahagathbandhan Poster — Alliance Faces Internal Rift Before Polls
Bihar Election 2025 LIVE: Political row erupts as top 5 INDIA bloc leaders missing from Mahagathbandhan press conference poster, sparking alliance rift
The Mahagathbandhan (Grand alliance) in Bihar is fully “united” and “contesting the elections with strength” after the negotiations over the allocation of seat-sharing went down the line, with a few days left for the polling in the State.
“The INDIA alliance in Bihar is fully united and is contesting the elections with strength. Tomorrow (October 23 [today]), the full situation will be clarified in the Mahagathbandhan’s press conference,” Mr. Gehlot said.
Earlier, Congress rushed Mr Gehlot to Bihar. A lack of public announcement endorsing the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial face has worsened the situation.
Notably, while there are five seats where candidates of both RJD and Congress are in the fray, in three others, the grand old party is pitted against a smaller alliance partner, the CPI.
The photographs of top INDIA bloc leaders were missing from a banner at the venue of the much-awaited joint press conference of the Mahagathbandhan in Patna on October 23, 2025, triggering a controversy.
The banner, the image of which has gone viral on social media, carried only a large photograph of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
A joint press conference of the Mahagathbandhan leaders is scheduled to be held in the state capital later in the day.
This is the first press conference of the Mahagathbandhan leaders amid the stalemate over seat-sharing arrangements among the INDIA bloc constituents for the assembly polls. — PTI
Clearing the rumours of rift in Mahagathbandhan, Congress leader Pawan Khera says, “…Like I said, whatever has to be decided to win, all those decisions have been made.”
He says, “…We are very confident. We are getting the blessings of Bihar.”
On senior Congress leaders not accompanying candidates during nomination, he says, “Let those who want to show off, do it. We are contesting elections on issues. Our alliance is contesting the polls on issues. This is not an era or the time of showing off. Bihar is troubled; its youth is troubled. So, do you want to show off with ‘band baaja’? Do it then…”
BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain says, “There are significant differences within the Mahagathbandhan… The NDA has an early lead… Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav have failed to resolve the differences within the Mahagathbandhan.”
BJP candidate from Gurua Assembly Constituency Upendra Prasad says, “The people are supporting NDA because they are content with the State government’s works. Expectations are only from those who deliver.”
In another setback for the INDIA bloc, the nomination of RJD’s candidate Shewta Suman from Mohania Assembly seat reserved for Schedule Caste (SC) has been rejected by the Election Commission. Her nomination was rejected after the Commission found that she was a resident of Uttar Pradesh, making her ineligible to contest the election.
As the political temperature in Bihar continues to rise ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections, a major controversy erupted within the opposition camp on Thursday after several top INDIA bloc leaders were found missing from the official poster displayed at a Mahagathbandhan press conference in Patna. The incident has triggered widespread speculation about growing internal rifts and strained coordination among alliance partners.
The press conference, organized jointly by leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, was meant to project unity and strength ahead of the high-stakes state polls. However, what grabbed public and media attention was not the speeches delivered on stage, but the visuals behind it — a large poster that prominently featured RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and other state-level leaders, while key INDIA bloc figures, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, and Arvind Kejriwal, were conspicuously absent.
The omission of these national leaders immediately fueled political debate, with ruling NDA leaders and social media users accusing the opposition of being divided just months before the election. Several BJP spokespersons mocked the Mahagathbandhan, calling it a “house divided” and a “coalition of confusion.”
Meanwhile, internal murmurs within the alliance could not be ignored. Congress workers in Bihar expressed disappointment over the exclusion of their top leaders, terming it a “disrespect to the national leadership.” Similarly, sources within the INDIA bloc indicated that Trinamool Congress and AAP functionaries were not informed about the design of the poster beforehand.
Responding to the growing criticism, RJD spokespersons downplayed the controversy, calling it an “unnecessary distraction.” They clarified that the poster was designed specifically for the Bihar unit and focused on local leaders who would be spearheading the campaign in the state. “This is not an all-India campaign poster. Our alliance is united, and all INDIA bloc leaders will participate in the upcoming rallies,” one RJD representative told reporters.
However, Congress insiders privately suggested that such visual omissions could have been avoided, especially when the opposition is seeking to portray a united front against the ruling NDA government.
The BJP and JD(U) wasted no time in capitalizing on the controversy. Senior NDA leaders, including Union Minister Giriraj Singh and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, ridiculed the incident, claiming it reflected the “true character of the INDIA bloc — disorganized and leaderless.”
“They can’t even agree on a poster, how will they agree on a Chief Minister?” Nitish Kumar reportedly said at an event in Nalanda.
The poster controversy comes at a time when opposition unity is being closely watched ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. With multiple parties under the INDIA bloc umbrella — including RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI, and CPI(M) — coordination and candidate-sharing remain key challenges. The absence of national faces from the local event could be seen as a sign of strained relations or differing campaign strategies among partners.
As campaign season intensifies, all eyes will now be on how INDIA bloc leaders manage internal optics and avoid similar missteps. The alliance aims to take on the NDA government over unemployment, inflation, and governance issues, but incidents like the poster controversy risk diluting that message.
For now, the missing faces on a single poster have raised big questions about the strength and cohesion of the Mahagathbandhan — questions that may determine whether the opposition can truly mount a united challenge in Bihar’s fiercely contested 2025 polls.
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