Who is Mukesh Sahani? Mahagathbandhan’s deputy CM face who worked on Shah Rukh Khan’s Devdas

Mukesh Sahani

Mukesh Sahani, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief, was on Thursday named the deputy chief minister nominee from Mahagathbandhan for the Bihar polls. Sahani, popularly referred to as “Son of Mallah”, joined the grand alliance last year in April after several weeks of negotiations.

Who is Mukesh Sahani and his connection with Bollywood?

Mukesh Sahani was born in 1981 in Darbhanga to a fisherman family. He embraced the moniker ‘Son of Mallah’ -- a tribute to his boatmen and fisherfolk community.

He was 19 when he ran away from his home to Mumbai. According to an India Today report, Sahani began his journey in Mumbai as a salesman and eventually found success in Bollywood as a set designer, working on major films such as Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Devdas and Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

He also founded his own production firm, Mukesh Cine World Private Limited.

During a conversation with Times of India, Sahani said he was involved in building sets for TV show Big Boss and for Sooraj Barjatya's comeback film 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' featuring Salman Khan in the lead.

Sahani returned to Bihar by 2013 to fight for the extremely backward classes (EBCs), who account for over a third of the state’s population.

He launched the Vikassheel Insaan Party in the year 2018.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, Sahani was with the NDA but exited later that year because of disagreements over the BJP’s influence over its legislators.

What Sahani said after being declared the deputy CM face?

The VIP leader said that his party would stand strong with the Mahagathbandhan and would work to form a government.

Addressing the Mahagathbandhan's joint press conference, the VIP chief said, "I was awaiting this moment for 3.5 years. The moment has now come. Not just VIP or Mukesh Sahani, lakhs of people of the party were waiting for this.”

“BJP broke our party and poached our MLAs...At that time, we had pledged with Ganga jal in our hands - 'BJP ko jab tak hum todenge nahi, tab tak chhoddenge nahi'...The time has come. Standing strong with Mahagathbandhan, we will form our government in Bihar and oust the BJP from the state. Mahagathbandhan is united and strong. In the time to come, we will work and form our government," he said.