Banished from party & family, now all eyes on Tej Pratap’s next move

Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, has once again found himself at a political and personal crossroads. Recently expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and banished from the Yadav household itself, the maverick leader’s future is steeped in uncertainty—but also ripe with possibility.

The young leader from Bihar has long shown signs of carving a distinct political identity, often at odds with the legacy politics of the Yadav clan and the structured power dynamics of the RJD. His ouster might seem like a fall from grace, but for someone like Tej Pratap, it might be just the rupture needed to unleash a new avatar.

Politician with a different style

Despite being born into one of Bihar’s most influential political families, Tej Pratap Yadav has rarely fit the mold of a conventional dynast. His sporadic public appearances, flair for dramatics, and penchant for spiritual symbolism have often made him a subject of ridicule, but they have also crafted an unmistakable personal brand: unpredictable, unconventional, and untamed.

In 2017, while still Forest Minister in the Nitish Kumar-led alliance government, Tej Pratap floated the Dharmanirpeksha Sewak Sangh (DSS)—a platform meant to counterbalance the RSS and promote secularism. It was a bold move, particularly given the fragile coalition politics of the time. Though DSS faded from the headlines, it signaled Tej Pratap’s ideological restlessness and ambition to go beyond his father’s politics.

Then came Chhatra Janshakti Parishad (CJP) in 2021—a student-centric platform that attempted to tap into Bihar’s large and politically restless youth population. Though it didn’t become a mass movement, it showed that Tej Pratap hadn’t abandoned his ambition of a parallel political path.

The fall from the RJD tree

The exact reasons behind his expulsion from the RJD remain murky, but long-simmering tensions with his younger brother and RJD de facto chief, Tejashwi Yadav, are no secret. With the latter cementing his role as the face of the RJD and the likely successor to Lalu’s legacy, Tej Pratap has increasingly been seen as an outlier disruptive, erratic, and politically inconvenient. The controversy which erupted over his controversial social media post regarding his alleged relationship may have sparked outrage in the family and party and may have been the Achilles heel.

Speculations about his next move

There are speculations in the lanes of Patna that he may form a new political outfit. Though nothing can be said with certainty as of now but nothing is impossible in politics. Political analysists claim that with DSS and CJP as ideological test beds, Tej Pratap has already experimented with independent platforms. A new party—perhaps combining the spiritual-cultural rhetoric of DSS and the youth focus of CJP—could emerge as his vehicle. But it is yet in the wings of uncertainty.