Bihar Elections 2025: Tej Pratap Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad, Janshakti Janta Dal chief booked for MCC violation

Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and head of the Janshakti Janta Dal, has been charged with breaching the model code of conduct (MCC) during the submission of his nomination papers for the Mahua assembly seat in Vaishali, Bihar. Police confirmed the booking on Sunday (October 19). The district police issued a statement after a video surfaced on social media showing Yadav using an SUV, which had a police emblem and a beacon light, during his procession on October 16. The Circle Officer from Mahua filed a complaint, which led to an investigation. Authorities found that while the vehicle had a police logo and beacon, they were privately installed. Consequently, a case was registered for violating the election guidelines.

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Tej Pratap, who had been expelled from the RJD by his father Lalu Prasad in May for reportedly admitting to being in a relationship with a woman, later launched his own political party. Following his expulsion, he claimed his Facebook account had been hacked after a controversial post, and denied any involvement in the statements. Lalu Prasad also distanced himself from his son due to what he described as Tej Pratap's 'irresponsible behavior'. Tej Pratap, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), suggested that a conspiracy was behind the fallout between him and his younger brother, Tejashwi Yadav, blaming ‘Jaichand’—a term used for traitors in Indian history.

What happened in 2020 Bihar elections?

In the 2020 Bihar state elections, the BJP-JDU alliance narrowly defeated the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. The BJP-JDU coalition secured 125 seats (with BJP winning 74, JDU 42, and others 9), while the RJD took 75, Congress 19, and other parties claimed 16 seats. Despite JDU being the smaller partner with fewer seats, Nitish Kumar of JDU was appointed as Chief Minister, marking his seventh term in office. However, midway through his tenure, Kumar did what many anticipated—he switched sides and rejoined the Mahagathbandhan in 2022, taking oath as Chief Minister for an eighth term. This time, he played a key role in establishing the INDIA alliance, a new anti-BJP coalition. Yet, in 2024, he once again made a dramatic U-turn, re-aligning with the BJP and taking oath as chief minister for his ninth term.