Tej Pratap Yadav to contest as independent months after RJD expelled him
This announcement came just days after he told India Today TV in an exclusive interview that he would run as an independent candidate from the Mahua Assembly constituency if the RJD did not give him a ticket.
Months after being expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) by his father Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar MLA Tej Pratap Yadav announced on Saturday that he will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections as an independent candidate.
This announcement came just days after Tej Pratap had told India Today TV that if he wasn’t given a party ticket, he would run from the Mahua Assembly constituency in Vaishali district as an independent. On Saturday, he confirmed his decision at a press conference in Patna.
“I am going to contest from Mahua as an independent candidate. Me and my Team Tej Pratap Yadav are receiving a lot of support from the people. Youngsters are also backing us strongly,” he said.
Tej Pratap was expelled from the RJD and his family by Lalu Prasad Yadav after he made his relationship with his partner Anushuka Yadav public earlier this year.
He told India Today TV, “The people of Mahua want only me to contest from here. They have said that if anyone else from RJD is fielded, they will not vote for that candidate. If the party gives me a ticket, I will contest for RJD. If not, I will fight as an independent — but only from Mahua. This is my political stronghold.”
Mahua is the constituency where Tej Pratap won in the 2015 state elections and served as a minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet until 2017. Currently, RJD’s Mukesh Kumar Roshan is the sitting MLA from Mahua.
Recently, Tej Pratap held a political rally under a new banner, signaling his plans to contest independently. At the rally, he and his supporters carried a green-and-white flag with “Team Tej Pratap Yadav” written on it.
When asked about his relationship with his younger brother and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap dismissed rumours of a feud. “If Tejashwi wants to join, he is welcome to join Team Tej Pratap Yadav. My doors are always open. But I won’t say more on this—someone must have told you to ask this question,” he said.
Bihar’s 243-member Legislative Assembly is set to go to polls later this year, likely in October or November. The key battle is expected to be between the NDA—comprising Nitish Kumar’s JDU, the BJP, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas), and others—and the Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, Congress, and Left parties.