Has Tejashwi Yadav Become Bihar’s Lalu 2.0?

Tejashwi Yadav gave up on his cricket career for politics. Will he prove himself as the next Lalu of Bihar?

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav has the big 2019 elections to contest.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

It is said that politics is no child’s play. But a youngster is preparing for 2019 elections in Bihar’s politics. He is 29-year-old, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son, Tejashwi Yadav, who gave up on his cricket career to join politics.

Despite the fact that his win in Araria did not attract as much attention as Yogi’s defeat in Gorakhpur, Tejashwi’s victory has challenged the two main political leaders.

The question that arises is whether Tejashwi Yadav has become Bihar’s Lalu 2.0. His victory means a lot, but one must understand how he got here.

From Cricket to Politics

Tejashwi, who started his career in cricket, has inherited politics. He was elected as an MLA from Raghopur in Vaishali districts for the first time in 2015. He defeated BJP’s Satish Kumar, the man who defeated his mother, Rabri Devi in 2010. The young Yadav has taken his revenge.

RJD won the 2015 elections with the most votes. Because of Lalu’s situation then, and Tejashwi’s talent, he became Bihar’s deputy CM.

Tejashwi has always been active on social media. And because of him, Lalu Yadav too became active on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Tejashwi understood the need of the hour and the importance of social media, pushing RJD to become active on twitter and Facebook too.

But within 20 months of him being sworn in as deputy chief minister, he was accused of corruption, and chief minister Nitish Kumar broke the mahagathbandhan to join hands with the BJP.

It was a big blow to Bihar’s politics. But It could have been a blessing in disguise for Tejashwi Yadav, because it was in the meantime that he became proficient in political tactics.

Soon he come to be known as the leader in power, instead of just as Lalu’s son.

Lalu was jailed for the fodder scam and there were questions of how a fresher like Tejashwi could hope to compete with established powers like Nitish Kumar and the BJP. But Tejashwi proved them wrong. Tejashwi proved himself.

Tejashwi’s first move to was to break the alliance between Jitan Ram Manjhi, Hindustani Awam Morcha’s chief and Nitish Kumar’s old friend, and the NDA. Manjhi is known to be a Dalit leader.

Tejashwi’s second move was to poach JDU's MLA Sarfaraz Alam, who was made to contest the Araria bypoll, where Alam outright defeated BJP’s candidate.

But the young Yadav did face setbacks. He claimed he'd win a majority in the Legislative Assembly after the grand alliance broke, but he couldn’t manage.

Though he did set his image by winning the bypolls.

Now, on one hand, he has to handle the party. On the other, he needs to keep his image clean. He has the big 2019 elections to worry about.

His real test has only begun.