Tej Pratap Yadav to Contest Bihar Polls Independently from Mahua

Quick Summary

• Tej Pratap Yadav, elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad yadav, announced his intention to contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections from Mahua constituency as an autonomous candidate.
• He was previously expelled from the RJD and ousted from his family following a controversy involving a personal video.
• Tej Pratap accused individuals close to his younger brother, Tejashwi Yadav, of orchestrating his exit from the party and described them as “Jai Chand.”
• In prior elections: he won Mahua in 2015 on an RJD ticket and Hasanpur in 2020.
• Recently active on social media, he claims local support for another run in Mahua due to previous developmental work done there.
• He also stated that incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will not hold the position after these elections.

Indian Opinion Analysis
Tej Pratap Yadav’s decision to contest independently indicates growing fragmentation within Bihar’s Rashtriya Janata dal (RJD), traditionally one of the state’s dominant political forces. This intra-family rift could potentially dilute votes among key segments aligned wiht the Yadav community or pose challenges for strategizing ahead of a crucial Assembly election cycle where unity is imperative for coalition dynamics. While personal controversies have fueled public scrutiny around him, Mr. Tej Pratap might still command localized loyalty within constituencies like Mahua due to past developmental efforts or name recognition stemming from being Lalu Prasad’s son. For state politics his statement against CM Nitish Kumar points toward increased rhetoric and polarization as elections near.

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