Expelled from RJD, Tej Pratap Yadav launches five-party coalition in Bihar

The development comes almost a month after he was expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal by his father and party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav

Former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday announced the formation of a new political coalition comprising five regional parties ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar, news agency PTI reported.

 

"Representatives of several parties are here and they all have agreed to support 'Team Tej Pratap'. We will together fight the battle ahead. We know it will be challenging... many people may think we will be destroyed, but our togetherness is our strength," Yadav said at a press conference in Patna.

 

“If people give us the mandate, we will work towards the development of the state. We will work to fulfil the dreams of Ram Manohar Lohia, Karpoori Thakur and Jayaprakash Narayan," he added.

 

The alliance includes the Vikas Vanchit Insaan Party (VVIP), Bhojpuriya Jan Morcha (BJM), Pragatisheel Janta Party (PJP), Wajib Adhikar Party (WAP), and Sanyukt Kisan Vikas Party (SKVP).

 

Expelled after social media controversy

 

The announcement comes nearly a month after Yadav was expelled from the RJD by his father and party president Lalu Prasad Yadav. The expulsion followed a controversy over a social media post in which Tej Pratap spoke of a "long-term relationship" with a woman — a claim he later withdrew.

 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lalu Prasad cited “irresponsible behaviour” and a deviation from “family values” as reasons for distancing his elder son from both the party and the family. He announced Tej Pratap’s removal from the RJD for a period of six years.

 

Shortly after his expulsion, Tej Pratap claimed that there was a conspiracy to create a rift between him and his younger brother, Tejashwi Yadav — currently the RJD’s key leader and chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming polls.

 

Independent run from Mahua planned

 

Yadav, who previously represented the Mahua constituency in the Bihar Assembly, said he would contest this year’s election from the same seat as an independent candidate. In the 2020 election, the RJD had fielded him from Hasanpur instead.

 

When asked if Tejashwi Yadav would contest against him from Mahua, Tej Pratap responded: "Tejashwi Yadav won't contest from Mahua ever. I have always blessed him... no, we are not talking..."

 

(With inputs from PTI)