Bihar win boosts Tejashwi’s status

PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday emerged from the shadows of his father Lalu Prasad, leading the party to thumping victories in the Araria parliamentary and Jehanabad assembly seats.

Though the RJD lost in Bhabua, the twin victories helped Tejashwi, 28, shed the tag of “bachcha” in politics, as he is often ridiculed by the BJP.

Many in the RJD believe the wins are in many ways a personal victory for Tejashwi, for whom the bypolls were his first litmus test in the absence of Lalu Prasad, who did not spearhead the campaign for the first time in two decades. Lalu is jailed in Ranchi after his conviction in a fodder scam case. The victory will also come as a sweet revenge after chief minister Nitish Kumar-led

Janata Dal (United) broke off a pre-poll alliance with the RJD and the Congress to return to the BJP-led NDA fold. In a matter of hours, Tejashwi became the leader of opposition from the deputy CM. Tejashwi has managed to send out a message that his boyish charms may still not be as lethal as his father’s rustic wit and gift of gab, but he can bring in the votes, especially where the party has its stronghold, especially its traditional Muslim-Yadav vote bank. Araria has formidable Muslim-Yadav electorate — 40% Muslims and 20% Yadavs — while Jehanabad is mainly Yadav-dominated. “The Tejashwi factor in Araria and Jehanabad was surely in play as he was able to keep the Yadav voters intact despite BJP-led NDA wooing the caste group in both the constituencies,” said Mritunjay Yadav, the RJD’s state spokesperson. “He has filled in the vacuum of Lalu Prasad and gained acceptability as a youth leader in the party,” he added.