Who is Tej Pratap Yadav? Lalu Yadav's eldest son, expelled from RJD & politician with a troubled marriage

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday expelled his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav from the party for six years and publicly announced his removal from the family as well.

"Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice. The activities, public conduct and irresponsible behaviour of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions. Therefore, due to the above circumstances, I remove him from the party and family," Lalu wrote on X.

"From now on, he will not have any role of any kind in the party and family. He is expelled from the party for 6 years. He is capable of seeing the good and bad and merits and demerits of his personal life. All those who will have relations with him should make their own decisions. I have always been an advocate of public shame in public life. The obedient members of the family have adopted and followed this idea in public life," the RJD supremo added.


Read more: RJD chief Lalu Prasad removes son Tej Pratap Yadav from party, family for 'irresponsible behaviour'

Who is Tej Pratap Yadav?

Tej Pratap Yadav, born on April 16, 1988, in Gopalganj, Bihar, is the eldest son of former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi.

A former cabinet minister in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, he held the Environment, Forest and Climate Change portfolio.

Tej Pratap is the elder brother of Tejashwi Yadav, the current leader of opposition in Bihar and widely seen as the political heir to the RJD leadership. Tej Pratap's political career, however, has often been overshadowed by controversies and eccentric public behaviour.

A marriage that turned into a political storm

Tej Pratap Yadav married Aishwarya Rai, the granddaughter of former Bihar CM Daroga Rai, in a grand ceremony in 2018. But the marriage soon descended into acrimony.

Within months, Aishwarya left his home, alleging mistreatment by Tej Pratap and his family.

The separation led to a bitter public feud between the two political families. Aishwarya’s father, former minister Chandrika Roy, quit the RJD and vowed to fight the case “politically and legally”.

The divorce proceedings are still ongoing, with both sides trading serious allegations.

Tej Pratap has accused Aishwarya of demanding a large alimony sum, while Aishwarya has alleged that he used drugs and dressed like a woman in private.

The high-profile case was extensively covered by the media and marked the beginning of Tej Pratap’s estrangement from the mainstream party narrative.

A Facebook post, a mystery partner & denial

Just a day before his expulsion from the RJD, Tej Pratap on Saturday caused another stir when he introduced a woman named Anushka Yadav as his partner of 12 years in a Facebook post, writing: “I am Tej Pratap Yadav and the one seen in this picture is Anushka Yadav. We have been known to each other for the last 12 years. We are in love and have been in a relationship for 12 years.”

However, hours later, he denied the post, claiming his social media accounts had been hacked.

“My social media platform has been hacked, and my photos are being edited in a malicious way to harass and defame me and my family. I appeal to my well-wishers and followers to stay vigilant and not pay attention to any rumours...” he wrote on X.

He also added, “I have been wanting to share this with you for a long time.....therefore, I am revealing it before you all. I hope you will be able to understand me.”

The contradictory posts further fuelled speculation about his personal life and widened the already visible rift between him and the party leadership.