Bihar polls: Tej Pratap Yadav's troubled marriage & political career

Tej, the eldest son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, may not be the face of the Grand Alliance like his brother Tejashwi, but he is among the most prominent faces in Bihar politics.

Tej Pratap Yadav, whose political career has been largely mired in his marital dispute, is contesting from the Hasanpur seat in Samastipur district which went to polls in the second phase on November 3, and is pitted against Janata Dal (United) sitting MLA Raj Kumar Ray.

In May 2018, Tej married Aishwarya Rai, the daughter of RJD MLA Chandrika Rai and granddaughter of former Bihar Chief Minister Daroga Rai. However, in less than six months, the marriage between the two most influential families turned sour with Tej filing a divorce petition in November alleging harassment at the hands of his wife.

What followed next were a bunch of allegations and ‘revelations’. Tej Pratap’s estranged wife lodged an FIR under the Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, 2005, accusing mother-in-law Rabri Devi and sister-in-law Misa Bharti of domestic violence.

In her complaint, she reportedly alleged that Tej, a marijuana addict, claimed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva under the influence of drugs.

"Tej used to dress up like Lord Radha and Krishna. Soon after my wedding, I discovered that he used to dress up like Gods and Goddesses. Not only this, once after consuming drugs, Tej wore a 'Ghagra' (long skirt) and 'Choli' (blouse) and dressed up like Goddess Radha, he also wore makeup and a hair wig," Aishwarya had told ANI.

During the 2015 elections, Tej Pratap won from the Mahua seat in Vaishali district and served as the Health Minister until the Grand Alliance fell apart. As per reports, he shifted to Hasanpur this year presuming that Aishwarya might be fielded against him in the constituency.

Read: Close battle between Mahagathbandhan and NDA as counting continues in Bihar polls

Tej has often been lambasted for his controversial statements. In 2017, he received flak for threatening to skin PM Modi if something happened to his father Lalu Prasad due to his downgraded security cover.

"Laluji ko maarne ki saazish ho rahi hai. Hum chup nahi baithenge, Narendra Modi ji ka khaal udhedva lenge (They are conspiring to kill Laluji, We won’t remain silent, will skin Narendra Modi alive)," he had reportedly said.

For the RJD, the 2020 Assembly election is a battle it cannot afford to lose and the troubled marriage of politically inexperienced Tej Pratap Yadav plays an evident role in upholding Lalu’s legacy.