Tej Pratap Yadav says ‘options are open’ after Bihar polls, calls people of Mahua his ‘only family’

Tej Pratap Yadav

Tej Pratap Yadav, the estranged son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, has once again stirred the political pot in Bihar with his latest remarks, declaring that he has “options” open after the ongoing election. Speaking to reporters, the former minister said the people of Mahua, his constituency, are his “only family” and insisted that he holds “no enmity towards anyone,” a statement seen as significant amid his strained ties with both his family and his former party.

“Options are open. There are thousands of options... After victory, all options are open,” he said when asked about possible post-election alliances.

Questioned about his main rival in Mahua, Tej Pratap responded, “I have not done any wrong to anyone. Anyway, whoever it is, people of Mahua want jobs and people choose jobs.”

Tej Pratap Yadav was expelled from the RJD in May after a 12-year relationship with a woman came to light through a Facebook post, which he later claimed was the result of a hacked account. Following his expulsion, he launched his own political outfit, the Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), under the election symbol of a blackboard. The party has fielded 22 candidates in the current Bihar Assembly elections, including one from Raghopur, the family’s traditional stronghold.

When asked whether the contest in Mahua was personal or political, he replied, “We do not fight with anyone. We do not fight with anyone who is a devotee of Krishna or Mahadev. This is not in our nature.”

Once known for his fiery rhetoric against his opponents, Tej Pratap had earlier invoked the Mahabharata to justify his decision to contest against his family’s party. “This is a battleground. There is no brother, no nephew, only the enemy,” he had said at the time, adding that he would “choose death over returning to the RJD.”

On Thursday, however, he struck a softer tone. “You asked a question that the family has disowned me. My family is right here. The people of Mahua. Whatever we do, we do it from the heart. And we do not do anything for the leaders,” he said.

Relations between Tej Pratap and his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s chief ministerial face, remain frosty. The two recently crossed paths at Patna airport but reportedly did not exchange a word. Their mother, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, has nonetheless extended her blessings to both sons as they head into the election season on opposite sides.