Who is Sanjay Yadav? Meet the 'outsider' at centre of rift within RJD's first family

RJD MP Sanjay Yadav and former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav. (Image: X/@sanjuydv)

When Rohini Acharya, the daughter of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav who donated her kidney to save her ailing father, put up a scathing critique of her brother Tejashwi Yadav's most trusted aide Sanjay Yadav, she wasn't the first to raise the red flag against his growing clout within Bihar's biggest Opposition party. Of course, what followed wasn't something one would expect in Bihar's first family.

Rohini was rebuked by Lalu, who was apparently asked to step in at Tejashwi's behest, and change the tone of her social media post. A day later, her account went private, but not before she had unfollowed her father Lalu, her brother Tejashwi and a host of other individuals. The fallout within the Lalu clan, however, is not an isolated incident, with all fingers pointed at Sanjay Yadav, the one common factor binding them all.

Having grown up in Haryana's Mahendragarh, away from the hustle and bustle of Patna's power lanes, Sanjay Yadav is a curious name in Bihar's political landscape. A computer science and business management post-graduate, Sanjay was leading a quiet corporate life until 2012, when Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav first introduced him to Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. The latter was a cricketer-turned-reluctant heir, the other a techie with a nose for politics.

What began as a chance meeting a decade ago has arguably produced the most talked-about man in the RJD after Tejashwi himself. Over the years, Sanjay has turned part strategist and, as per his critics, part "gatekeeper". In Tejashwi's words though, Sanjay is his "philosopher, guide and tuition teacher".

Sanjay's first big splash came in the midst of the 2015 Assembly elections in Bihar when he handed Lalu Prasad Yadav a newspaper clipping where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had casually suggested reviewing reservations. Lalu immediately saw it as a "big issue" and Sanjay's find, which was yet to be prominently picked up by the media, became the Mahagathbandhan’s campaign weapon in the final phase of the polls. By the time the dust settled, the BJP had been cut down to size with Sanjay's tip having played a prominent part.

Since the Mahagathbandhan's victory in 2015, Sanjay has only scaled higher. From initially managing RJD's social media handles, scripting Tejashwi's yatras and building slogans like 'MY BAAP', he has graduated to the Rajya Sabha and is virtually the eyes and years of Tejashwi Yadav. His political acumen is believed to have played a key role in RJD's performances in multiple elections.

Party insiders say it was Sanjay Yadav who then advised Tejashwi to field more upper caste candidates to expand the RJD’s social footprint in 2015. He is also believed to have designed the entire RJD campaign around unemployment and crafted Tejashwi's image as a change-maker for Bihar's youth in 2020. The much-highlighted promise of 10 lakh jobs was also Sanajy's brainchild that even Nitish Kumar was forced to emulate.

When Nitish Kumar parted ways with the RJD, it was apparently at Sanjay's behest that Tejashwi refrained from attacking him directly. The change was marked since Tejashwi had been targeting Nitish as "Paltu Ram" at every opportunity. The idea of not directly attacking Nitish was to ensure that Kushwaha and Kurmi votes are not alienated.

Insiders reveal that today, no one meets Tejashwi without going through him. Want an interview? Want to discuss a ticket? Sanjay is the firewall -- one that has left many in the party as well as the family infuriated.

The outburst by Lalu's daughter Rohini Acharya, who shared a post objecting to Sanjay sitting in the front seat of Tejashwi's yatra bus -- a spot traditionally reserved for her father or brother, was a reflection of the same anger. Rohini eventually unfollowed Tejashwi and Lalu on X, dropping cryptic posts about "self-respect". But she wasn't the first to raise the red flag.

Tej Pratap Yadav, Lalu's estranged elder son who was expelled from the party and family earlier this year, has long made Sanjay his punching bag, calling him a “Jaichand” who has hijacked the party. Many even believe that it was Sanjay who is responsible for the marginalization of Tej Pratap within the party. when a leader from Tej Pratap’s students’ wing filed his nomination papers during the 2021 Tarapur bypoll but later withdrew, Tej Pratap accused Sanjay Yadav of conspiring against him.

“Biharis know all things. Write C grade story somewhere else, Haryanvi scriptwriter,” he wrote in a social media post. It was said that Sanjay Yadav briefed Tejashwi that Tej Pratap was sabotaging the party’s prospects in the bypoll by fielding a rival candidate.

On another occasion, tensions escalated when Akash Yadav, brother of Tej Pratap’s close aide Anushka Yadav, was removed as president of the party's youth wing. Reports said that the decision was taken by state president Jagdanand Singh, a longtime confidant of Lalu Prasad, reportedly on the advice of Sanjay Yadav.

Even Lalu's eldest daughter Misa Bharti, Rohini and Tej Pratap protested when Sanjay was handpicked for the Rajya Sabha in 2024 ahead of party stalwart Abdul Bari Siddiqui. But it was Sanjay who eventually prevailed.

Inside the party, veterans complain he has cut them off from Tejashwi, dictating everything from access to candidate lists. While some see the buss seat controversy as Sanjay "crossing the line", others credit him for professionalising the RJD’s campaign machinery, bringing in young faces, sharper slogans, and an edge in its social media strategy. In 2020, when Tejashwi turned the Bihar election into a referendum on jobs, many saw Sanjay's fingerprints all over it.

One report sees Sanjay Yadav as Tejashwi's 'Prashant Kishor', but with deeper roots inside the party. To his supporters, he's the reason the RJD feels like a 21st-century party and, possibly, the third pole of the RJD. To his critics, he is the gatekeeper who has alienated the leader from his party, and the Lalu family his first casualty.