Tejashwi Yadav: How Lalu’s son went from losing Deputy CM seat to Mahagathbandhan’s biggest hope
For decades, Bihar’s politics has been defined by its veterans — Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, and their brand of caste-driven coalitions. Now, as the state waits for the outcome of the 2025 Assembly elections, a new face stands at the forefront of the Opposition: Tejashwi Yadav. At 36, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader represents a generational shift, one where jobs and governance, not just identity, shape the political narrative. His journey from an aspiring cricketer to Mahagathbandhan (RJD-led Grand Alliance)’s chief ministerial candidate tells the story of Bihar’s changing electorate as much as his own evolution.
From Cricket nets to campaign trails
It’s not often that a Google search for a politician leads you to an ESPNcricinfo page. Before stepping into politics, Tejashwi Yadav’s ambitions lay on the cricket field. A right-arm spinner and middle-order batsman, he was part of the Delhi Daredevils squad for four seasons in the IPL, though he never made the playing XI.
Cricket didn’t give him the spotlight, but it seems to have taught him discipline and patience. “Even in cricket, you have to have patience. You don’t have to go on the ball to hit; let the ball come to you and then hit,” he said recently in an interview on Unfiltered by Samdish, a metaphor that now fits his political journey.
The making of a politician
Born on November 9, 1989 — just months before his father Lalu Prasad first became Bihar’s chief minister — Yadav grew up at the intersection of power and politics. The youngest of nine siblings, he was often dismissed as a reluctant heir when he first appeared before the media from the RJD office in the late 2000s.
He brought on Sanjay Yadav, who remains his closest aide, to help navigate the political terrain. His official debut came in 2015, when he contested from the family bastion of Raghopur in Vaishali and defeated the BJP’s Satish Kumar by a margin of over 22,000 votes.
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That victory immediately elevated him to Deputy Chief Minister in Nitish Kumar’s coalition government. A position that might have seemed premature, but one that allowed him to prove his administrative instincts. As road construction minister, Yadav earned notice for his quick grasp of governance and confident communication — a sharp contrast to the perception of being a political novice.
Setback and reinvention
His early success, however, was short-lived. In 2017, the alliance collapsed after Nitish Kumar walked out, citing corruption allegations against Yadav and his family. However, instead of retreating, he recalibrated and gradually evolved into the Opposition’s most visible face.As Leader of the Opposition, Yadav adopted a mix of assertiveness and restraint, challenging Kumar on governance and employment rather than rhetoric. His biggest breakthrough came during the 2020 Assembly elections. While the RJD fell just short of power, Yadav’s campaign, which anchored on the promise of creating 10 lakh government jobs resonated with Bihar’s vast youth population and redefined the state’s electoral conversation.
The 2020 campaign proved that Bihar’s young voters, many of whom had grown disillusioned with older caste narratives, were ready to respond to an agenda built around employment and development.
The Deputy CM who delivered
When Nitish Kumar returned to the Mahagathbandhan in 2022, Yadav once again became Deputy Chief Minister, but this time with greater experience and focus. His tenure from 2022 to 2024 saw a concerted push on recruitment drives and government appointments.
Under his watch, over five lakh jobs were filled across departments, an achievement his party proudly cites as evidence that Yadav can translate rhetoric into results.
Even after Kumar’s latest switch back to the NDA in early 2024, Yadav has continued to centre his campaign on the same themes: jobs, healthcare, and governance. He has countered the BJP’s “jungle raj” charge by pointing to data on crime and alleged governance lapses under the NDA, arguing that Bihar deserves stability grounded in performance, not politics of fear.
Campaigning at full tilt
Despite an injury last year, Yadav ran a tireless campaign across the state. According to RJD spokesperson Priyanka Bharti, he covered 251 rallies, 92 meetings, and 160 interviews in just 57 days. His stamina and discipline have helped him connect directly with young voters who see in him both energy and accessibility.
His wife, Rajshree (Rachel Iris Godinho), and their daughters, Katyayani and Iraj, maintain a low profile, rarely appearing in public. His election affidavit lists family assets worth Rs 8.98 crore, including jewellery valued at Rs 87 lakh. He has declared 18 criminal cases, four under appeal, but notably, he doesn’t own a car — a detail that often finds mention in local reports seeking to contrast his personal lifestyle with his political lineage.
The road ahead
As Bihar heads toward the 2025 polls, Tejashwi Yadav faces perhaps his toughest contest yet, against both Nitish Kumar’s long incumbency and public skepticism tied to the RJD’s past. Yet, 2020 remains his motivation, a campaign that showed how close he came to power and how far Bihar’s politics had already changed.
From a cricketer who never got his debut to a chief ministerial contender ready for his biggest innings, Tejashwi Yadav’s rise is a reminder that in both cricket and politics, patience often decides the game.
