Expelled from RJD, Lalu's son Tej Pratap announces formation of coalition of 5 minor parties to contest Bihar polls

Patna: Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday announced the formation of a coalition of five minor parties to contest the assembly elections in the eastern state.

Yadav, who was recently expelled from RJD by his father and party supremo Lalu Prasad, made the announcement at a press conference, which was also attended by national presidents of the five parties.

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

Yadav said he will contest the assembly polls, due later this year, from the Mahua seat which he had represented till 2020 when RJD had shifted him to Hasanpur.

"People are free to make fun of me, but I will tread my own path. Our coalition will move forward together to ensure social justice, social rights, and the complete transformation of Bihar.

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

Yadav said he will contest the polls from Mahua assembly seat as an Independent candidate.

"People are supporting me, and a large number of people are now connected with my 'Team Tej Pratap Yadav', a social media platform to reach out to people," he added.

The former Bihar minister was expelled from the party on May 25 by his father Lalu Prasad for six years, a day after he reportedly confessed to being "in a relationship" with a woman named Anushka.

He, however, later deleted the social media post, claiming that his page was "hacked".

Lalu Prasad also disowned Tej Pratap due to his "irresponsible behaviour".

A few days later, after his expulsion from the party, Tej Pratap had alleged that there was a "conspiracy" to drive a wedge between him and his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav.

He had voiced his sentiments in a couple of posts on his X handle, blaming the crisis on 'Jaichand', a metaphor for traitors.

His expulsion came barely a few months ahead of the Bihar assembly polls, which the RJD will fight under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav.

Born to Prasad and Rabri Devi, both former chief ministers of Bihar, the two brothers are among four of nine siblings active in politics.