Tej Pratap Yadav (PTI)
NEW DLEHI: Janhit Janata Dal (JJD) chief and Lalu Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, who is set to contest from Mahua constituency in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, filed his nomination on Thursday accompanied by a roadshow and carrying a photo of his grandmother Marchiya Devi.Speaking to reporters, he said the occasion was significant for him as he had moved ahead with the blessings of his grandmother and parents. “I have moved ahead with the blessings of my grandmother and my parents. On this auspicious occasion, as I am required to file my nomination, I have brought my grandmother with me. She lives on in our hearts… People of Mahua will support whoever works for them. I worked to make Mahua a district and also give employment opportunities to the youth,” Tej Pratap said, as quoted by ANI. Tej Pratap, who currently represents Hasanpur, had earlier served as Mahua MLA from 2015 to 2020. The seat is now held by RJD’s Mukesh Kumar Raushan.The JJD, which Tej Pratap floated after his expulsion from the RJD earlier this year, has announced 22 candidates in its first list for the assembly elections scheduled for November. His expulsion from the party followed a controversy involving a social media post where he claimed to be in a long-term relationship. Tej Pratap had later stated that his account was hacked.His strained ties with his family have played out publicly in recent months. On October 12, he unfollowed his younger brother and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on X. He had earlier unfollowed his sisters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav. He now follows only five accounts, including his father Lalu Prasad Yadav, mother Rabri Devi, and sister Raj Lakshmi Yadav.Despite family tensions, Tej Pratap’s sister Rohini Acharya extended her support to him with a message on X: “May you achieve all the success and happiness in the world, and may you always move forward like a shining light, brother. Wishing you all the very best… with love and blessings.”It makes an interesting twist in the Yadav family dynamics, as last month Rohini Acharya did something similar to his elder brother Tej Pratap when she unfollowed RJD, and Tejaswi Yadav from her social media accounts. The increasing rifts between family members playing out in public are often attributed to sudden importance given to Sanjay Yadav, a close friend to Tejaswi. On being asked about the grandmother and Acharya he said, “I brought the photo of my grandmother Marchiya Devi in the nomination. With her blessing, I am going to win in Mahua. The Janshakti Janata Dal is going to win. Rohini Acharya called me, she extended her good wishes.” The Bihar Assembly elections will take place in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. The main contest is expected between the NDA alliance led by BJP-JD(U) and the INDIA bloc led by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav. JJD is among the new entrants in the fray, alongside Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj, which has announced plans to contest all 243 seats. Go to Source