Elections

Bihar's Nishad Community Leader Mukesh Sahani Made Deputy Chief Ministerial Candidate of INDIA Bloc

Strategic Insights

Oct 22, 2025 — 1 min read

Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader, announced the elevation of Mukesh Sahani as the deputy chief ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc in Patna on October 23. This move marks a significant comeback for Sahani, the founder of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), after years of navigating the complex Bihar politics. Sahani's association with the Nishad community, which includes fishermen, Kevats, and other river-linked groups, has been a cornerstone of his political journey.

Key Takeaways:

Sahani, aged 44, is the founder and president of the VIP, a prominent voice of Bihar's Nishad community.
Born in Darbhanga district, Sahani left home at 18 to escape poverty and moved to Mumbai, where he began as a salesman before working in the Hindi film industry as a set designer.
His company, Mukesh Cine World Private Limited, handled major projects like Devdas (2002) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015).
Sahani organized a large-scale Chhath Puja event in 2008, marking his public entry into social work.
By 2016, he had established the Nishad Vikas Sangh, aimed at empowering the extremely backward Nishad community.
Sahani's politics have been marked by strategic shifts, including initially campaigning for the BJP in 2015 but later aligning with the RJD-Congress Mahagathbandhan for the 2019 general elections.
The BJP promoted Sahani in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, but his influence waned after Sanjay Nishad established dominance in the community.

Statistics:

Over 20% of Bihar's population belongs to the Nishad community, comprising sub-castes traditionally dependent on river occupations.
Sahani's party, the VIP, contested three Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections but failed to win.
As of 2022, the BJP provided Sahani a helicopter to campaign on reservation issues during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Sources:

A 2022 report by The Wire
An interview with Mukesh Sahani

(Note: The source material does not contain an exact date for the report, so it has been listed as a 2022 report by The Wire)

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