Tejashwi Yadav, chairman of Bihar’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc’s coordination committee, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Left parties, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), is key to the opposition’s performance in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
Son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and former CM Rabri Devi, Tejashwi swapped a brief cricketing stint with Delhi Daredevils and India’s U-19 team for politics in 2013, having left school after Class 9.
Elected from Raghopur in 2015, he became Bihar’s youngest deputy chief minister at 26 in the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) government, a role he briefly reprised in 2022 until present chief minister Nitish Kumar’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) switch.
As leader of opposition, Tejashwi is pivotal in driving the opposition’s anti-NDA campaign.
He has been at the forefront in championing the cause of backward castes, people from the Dalit communities and minorities.
His 2020 promise of 10 lakh jobs resonated with Bihar’s youth, tackling unemployment and migration, securing 75 seats despite the alliance’s defeat.
In January 2025, RJD elevated him to near-parity with Lalu, cementing his leadership.
However, corruption allegations from Lalu’s era continue to haunt him. He has been embroiled in several cases, particularly the 2017 IRCTC hotel case and the 2022 land-for-jobs case. He has been chargesheeted for conspiracy and money laundering.
At 35, Tejashwi embodies Bihar’s polarised politics-blending dynastic grit, progressive vision and legal battles. His knack for uniting the INDIA bloc, leveraging youth appeal and countering NDA’s welfare pitch will decide if he can ensure the opposition’s victory.