Ahead of Bihar polls, VIP’s Mukesh Sahani stakes claim to 60 seats, deputy CM post

Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) founder Mukesh Sahani has announced that his party will contest 60 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections and has staked a claim to the post of Deputy Chief Minister. He asserted that the VIP holds a decisive vote share across the state and will play a crucial role in determining the next government.

In a post on ‘X’, Sahani declared: “VIP will contest 60 seats in 2025, while candidates from our allied parties will contest the remaining seats.”

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Popularly known as the ‘Son of Mallah’, Sahani added: “In 2025, our government will be formed. Tejashwi Yadav will be the next chief minister of Bihar, and the deputy chief minister will be a son of the Mallah from Bihar’s Extremely Backward Community.”

During a media interaction, the VIP chief said that this demand is not new but part of the 12-point agenda unanimously approved by senior party leaders at the National Executive Meeting held in March.

He stated: “Those 12 agendas reflect our party’s vision, organisational strength, and electoral strategy. Our leaders and workers have been actively working to implement them on the ground.”

Sahani reiterated that the VIP is an important constituent of the INDIA bloc and will contest the upcoming elections in alliance with other INDIA bloc partners.

“Our party leaders believe we should contest at least 25 per cent of the total Assembly seats in Bihar, which comes to around 60. We are confident of winning most of them. We have already demonstrated our strength when we contested independently,” he said.

However, he clarified that the seat-sharing arrangement is yet to be finalised. “The final decision on seat-sharing within the INDIA bloc will be taken unanimously by the Coordination Committee,” he added.

Sahani also announced that 50 per cent of the VIP candidates will be from the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

“This decision reflects our commitment to social justice and inclusive politics. For communities that have been historically excluded from power, VIP is determined to provide leadership opportunities,” he said.