Tej Pratap Yadav, one-time Bihar minister and elder son of RJD founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, declared his entry into the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections from the Mahua constituency in Vaishali district — this time as an Independent. This move comes after his recent expulsion from the Rashtriya Janata Dal by his own father.
Holding the Hasanpur seat in Samastipur district at present, Tej Pratap confirmed the development in a conversation with the media at his residence on Saturday evening.
"Yes, this time I will fight the elections from Mahua assembly seat as an Independent candidate. My rivals must have felt a tingle," he said, going on to say that his increasing follower base, or "Team Tej Pratap Yadav," has grown considerably from social media interactions.
He also made a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, asserting that the veteran JD(U) leader would not regain power following the elections. "I am sure that 'chacha' (Nitish) will not become the CM… whoever would go to form the government, if they speak about youths, employment, education, and health, Tej Pratap Yadav will accompany them," he asserted.
Tej Pratap's expulsion from the RJD was declared by Lalu Prasad on May 25, with a six-year suspension for "irresponsible behaviour." The action came one day after Tej Pratap had, from his official social media accounts, gone public with being in a relationship with a woman called Anushka — a declaration he subsequently removed, alleging his account had been hacked. The row resulted in a public split between father and son.
Soon after his ousting, Tej Pratap made charges of a higher-level political conspiracy to keep him away from his younger brother and RJD's current face, Tejashwi Yadav. On social media, he subtly suggested betrayal within party ranks, speaking of a "Jaichand" — an epithet traditionally connected with treachery.
The timing of the expulsion is significant, coming just months ahead of the state elections, where the RJD will contest under Tejashwi Yadav’s leadership. Both sons of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi — former chief ministers of Bihar — are among four of the nine siblings actively involved in politics.
Tej Pratap ventured into politics during the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, when he won from Mahua. He has represented the constituency for two terms as an MLA since then and has also had brief stints as a minister in the state government.
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