In a surprising turn of events ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, the Mahagathbandhan has announced Mukesh Sahani, chief of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), as its Deputy Chief Minister candidate. This announcement is particularly noteworthy as Sahani’s VIP currently holds no seats in the Assembly.
Sahani, often referred to as the “Son of Mallah,” has secured this prominent position due to the significant Extremely Backward Class (EBC) vote he is expected to bring to the alliance. EBC voters constitute approximately 30% of Bihar’s electorate. Within the EBC category, the Nishad community, traditionally boatmen, represents a substantial 9.6% of the state’s population, according to the 2023 caste survey. The Mallah sub-caste, to which Sahani belongs, comprises 2.6% of the total population.
Beyond the Mallahs, the broader Nishad community includes subgroups such as Bind, Manjhi, Kewat, and Turha. These marginalized groups, often described as “floating voters,” reside primarily in the riverine areas of North Bihar. Their influence could prove decisive in closely contested elections, particularly in regions like Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, Madhubani, Khagaria, and Vaishali.
Political analysts suggest that Sahani’s rise also reflects a broader need for a pan-state EBC leader in Bihar, a void that has existed since the passing of the late Karpoori Thakur, a revered socialist icon and former Chief Minister. While Bihar has witnessed leaders like Bhagwan Lal Sahni and Captain Jai Narayan Prasad Nishad, Mukesh Sahani, at 44, brings youthful energy to the political landscape.
Sahani’s journey to political prominence is an unconventional one. A school dropout who studied until Class 8, his initial aspirations lay in Bollywood. At the age of 19, he left his hometown of Supaul Bazar in Darbhanga for Mumbai, where he started as a salesman and eventually found work in the television and movie industry as a set designer. His company, Mukesh Cine World Private Limited, contributed to notable projects such as Shah Rukh Khan’s “Devdas” (2002) and Salman Khan’s “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” (2015).
His Bollywood connections garnered him attention back in Bihar. Sahani states that he was encouraged to “do something for the community” after organizing a large-scale Chhath celebration in 2008. This led to the formation of the Sahani Samaj Kalyan Sanstha in 2010, and as its gatherings attracted significant crowds, his political ambitions began to take shape.
The BJP initially recognized Sahani’s potential, enlisting him as a campaigner in the 2015 Assembly elections. However, their relationship soured when the NDA government did not fulfill his request to include Sahanis among the Scheduled Castes. Sahani subsequently launched the VIP in July 2018.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Mahagathbandhan offered the VIP three seats. Despite this, the NDA dominated Bihar, winning 39 out of 40 seats. All of Sahani’s candidates, including himself, lost. Discontented with the number of constituencies allocated to him by the Mahagathbandhan, Sahani aligned with the NDA for the 2020 Assembly polls, receiving 11 seats. The VIP secured four seats in that election, where the RJD emerged as the single-largest party. However, by 2022, the VIP’s remaining three MLAs defected to the BJP amidst growing tensions between the two parties.
Sahani then rejoined the Mahagathbandhan. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the VIP contested three seats as part of the alliance but failed to win any. Leading up to the current Assembly elections, Sahani demanded 30 seats from the RJD-led alliance, leading to speculation that he might return to the NDA if his demands were not met. The Mahagathbandhan’s offer of the Deputy CM position and the ability to field his own candidates under the VIP symbol proved decisive.
An RJD leader stated that the Nishads represent a crucial vote bank, with the Mallahs being the most assertive. The alliance believes that the VIP can rally support from other sub-groups within the EBC community, expanding their social base. Sahani has expressed his expectation of receiving a “respectable” number of seats from the Mahagathbandhan and has stated that there is a near consensus on Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face and himself as the Deputy CM face.
Sahani also outlined his preferred constituencies, including East Champaran, West Champaran, the Mithila region of Darbhanga, Madhubani, Supaul, Samastipur, Kaimur, Munger, and Bhagalpur. He emphasized the presence of the Mallah community wherever there are rivers and water bodies.
While critical of the BJP, Sahani has expressed respect for Nitish Kumar, acknowledging his efforts for marginalized communities. He views himself, Tejashwi Yadav, and Chirag Paswan as the true inheritors of Nitish Kumar’s legacy. Sahani also praised Lalu Prasad for being the voice of the voiceless and emphasized the VIP’s primary demand for reservation of seats for EBCs.
