This election has turned intensely personal for the family of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, as his two sons contest the same political battleground from opposite sides. Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav is leading in RJD bastion Raghopur while Tej Pratap Yadav is trailing from the Mahua seat.
Tejashwi Yadav is leading in the family stronghold of Raghopur by over 200 votes, while his elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, trails in Mahua.
On May 25, RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav expelled his eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav from the party for six years, citing “irresponsible behaviour” and failure to conform to probity and family values.
The action followed a purported Facebook post in which the 37-year-old reportedly spoke of a long relationship with Anushka Yadav; Tej Pratap later said his account was hacked and the photos edited to defame him and his family.
After the split, Tej Pratap floated the Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) and, on August 5, announced an alliance with five smaller Bihar parties: Vanchit Vikaas Insaan Party, Bhojpuriya Jan Morcha, Pragatisheel Janata Party, Wajib Adhikar Party and Sanyukt Kisan Vikas Party – as his vehicle for the Assembly contest.
Counting from Mahua (7th round) shows a striking gap: LJP (Ram Vilas) candidate Sanjay Kumar Singh – 22,703 votes; JJD’s Tej Pratap Yadav – 4,941 votes; RJD’s Mukesh Roshan – 15,919 votes. Tej Pratap is therefore trailing by nearly 18,000 votes behind the LJP candidate. The divergence is stark compared with 2020, when Tej Pratap won Hasanpur as an RJD candidate by over 20,000 votes
Tejashwi Yadav, the younger brother and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face, is leading by a narrow margin of 219 votes..
The picture on counting day reads as a tale of two brothers: one trying to build a new political identity after being expelled from the family party, the other continuing as the standard-bearer of the opposition alliance. The numbers from Mahua, meanwhile, suggest that Tej Pratap’s break has so far translated into a steep uphill battle at the ballot box.
Tej Pratap had earlier dismissed poll projections, saying: “I don’t believe in exit polls. We can’t say what will happen on 14th November…Let’s see what happens.” He added he was confident of winning Mahua and that his focus was on work rather than celebration: “Jashn ki tayari nahi, hum kaam ki tayari karte hain.”
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Published By:
Nakul Ahuja
Published On:
Nov 14, 2025
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