The Mahagathbandhan on Thursday officially announced Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani as the Deputy Chief Minister face for the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections. The alliance has named Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav as it chief ministerial candidate. Popualarly known as the “Son of Mallah”, Sahani had joined the Grand alliance last year after many rounds of negotiations.
Who Is Mukesh Sahani?
Born on 31 March 1981 in Darbhanga district of Bihar, Sahani is an Indian politician and the founder of the VIP. He served as the Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries in the Bihar government until his dismissal from the cabinet on March 27, 2022. He was born into the Nishad community to parents Jitan Sahani and Meena Devi. At the age of 19, he left Bihar and moved to Mumbai, where he initially worked as a salesman before entering Bollywood as a set designer. He is married to Kavita Sahani and the couple has two children, Ranveer and Muskan.
Bollywood Set Designer for SRK’s Devdas
Before entering politics, Sahani worked as a Bollywood stage designer and owns a company called Mukesh Cineworld Private Limited. He later went on to collaborate with prominent industry figures such as Nitin Desai and Umang Kumar. Sahani’s breakthrough came when Desai hired him to work on the sets of the Shahrukh Khan-starrer Devdas.
In an interview with TOI, Sahani had mentioned his involvement in building sets for the popular TV show Bigg Boss and film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, starring Salman Khan. He also worked with designer Sandeep Khosla on a show organised for Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani.
Political Career
His entry into politics is marked by initial campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. However, he later formed his own party in 2018. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Sahani’s party joined the Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar and contested three Lok Sabha seats, although they did not win any. In the 2020 Bihar elections, Sahani’s party solidified its presence by winning four seats as part of NDA.
Sahani is regarded as a prominent leader of the Mallah (fisherman) community and is often referred to as the ‘Son of Mallah’ due to his strong connection with the community. Elections for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly are scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes set for November 14.
