Jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son and former health minister Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for the Hasanpur assembly seat in Samastipur district, switching his constituency from Mahua in Vaishali district.
Tej Pratap was accompanied by his younger brother and leader of the opposition Tejas-hwi Prasad Yadav when he submitted his nomination form. “My elder brother has filed his nomination for the Hasanpur seat as there was a demand {that he do so} from the people of this constituency. He will win with a big margin,” Tejashwi said.
He said the perception that his elder brother had changed his constituency for fear of losing Mahua was false. “Tej Pratap, as Mahua MLA, has worked for development of the constituency by bringing in a medical college and also initiating road projects worth ₹900 crore during his tenure. He has changed his seat because people of Hasanpur wanted it,” he said.
The leader of the opposition is due to file his nomination form for re-election to the Raghopur seat on Wednesday.
Hasanpur, an RJD stronghold, is considered a safe seat for Tej Pratap as it has sizeable number of Yadav and Muslim minority voters as well as the scheduled caste community – the traditional vote base of the RJD.
{{/usCountry}}Hasanpur, an RJD stronghold, is considered a safe seat for Tej Pratap as it has sizeable number of Yadav and Muslim minority voters as well as the scheduled caste community – the traditional vote base of the RJD.
{{/usCountry}}RJD insiders said one important reason why Tej Pratap switched his constituency were based on feedback from the ground that the 32-year-old lawmaker had a low winnability quotient in Mahua as a section of voters, mainly Yadavs, were not happy him.
Tej Pratap’s decision to divorce his wife Aishwariya Rai in November 2018 and Rai’s accusation that she was ill-treated has left the party’s core voters unhappy, people familiar with the details said. “There are family reasons behind Tej Pratap’s decision to shift to Hasanpur,” said a senior RJD leader close to the RJD chief.