After the defeat of RJD in Bihar elections 2025, the power struggle in the Lalu family has deepened. Angered by the growing influence of Tejashwi’s advisor Sanjay Yadav, son Tej Pratap and daughter Rohini Acharya have left the party and the family. This discord highlights the leadership crisis.
After the crushing defeat of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 (only 25 seats), the ‘power struggle’ that was simmering in Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family for a long time has now come to the fore. In a span of just three months, two prominent members of the family—elder son Tej Pratap Yadav and daughter Rohini Acharya—have severed ties with both the party and the family. The discord is a culmination of leadership questions, power struggles and the growing influence of outside personalities like Sanjay Yadav, a close adviser to Tejashwi Yadav.
Disillusionment of the daughter who donated kidney
The most recent and most shocking split in the family occurred in November 2025, after the election results, when daughter Rohini Acharya announced her separation from the family. Rohini, who donated her kidney to her ailing father Lalu Yadav in 2022, was considered the most respected member of the family.
Rohini gave this information by writing a post on social media and alleged that Sanjay Yadav and Rameez had asked her to do so. This decision of Rohini after losing the election from Saran Lok Sabha seat, explains the growing tension within the Lalu family.
Tej Pratap’s ‘Jaichand’ allegation
The first major split in the Lalu family occurred in May 2025 when Lalu Prasad Yadav ousted his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav from both the party and the family. This decision was taken after Tej Pratap’s personal post controversy with a girl on social media. Tej Pratap described his father’s decision as not that of Lalu Yadav, but a decision taken under “pressure from Jaichand”.
He directly held Tejashwi’s close advisor Sanjay Yadav primarily responsible for this. After the expulsion, Tej Pratap now lives separately and has also formed a new party named ‘Janshakti Janata Dal’ (JJD).
Central cause of discord: Sanjay Yadav’s growing influence
The root cause of the ongoing dispute in the Lalu family is the excessive influence of Tejashwi Yadav’s close advisor and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav. Sanjay is considered to be Tejashwi’s most trusted strategist and a major part of all RJD’s strategies remains in his hands.
- Front Seat Controversy: The controversy reached its peak when during Tejashwi Yadav’s Bihar Adhikar Yatra in September 2025, Sanjay Yadav was made to sit on the seat immediately ahead of Tejashwi, which is traditionally reserved for senior members of the family.
- Rohini’s displeasure: Rohini called it objectionable in public. On September 18, he targeted Sanjay Yadav in a Facebook post, and the very next day unfollowed all the family members on social media. Rohini’s allegation was that Sanjay Yadav can be made MP or MLA, but cannot be made to sit on Lalu ji’s chair.
Other external characters: Rameez Nemat Khan
Rohini also took the name of Rameez Nemat Khan in her statement. Rameez is a resident of Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh and is Tejashwi’s friend from cricket era. He has been associated with RJD since 2016 and looks after Tejashwi’s daily routine and campaigning.
Weakness of leadership and result of defeat
RJD’s crushing defeat in Bihar elections 2025 raised questions on Tejashwi’s leadership. The family members are beginning to feel irritated by Sanjay Yadav’s growing power because they feel that Tejashwi’s high-tech strategy could not handle land related issues, due to which the rest of the family members are feeling neglected.
Tej Pratap and Rohini Acharya leaving the party and family is proof that the power struggle in the Lalu family has now crossed personal boundaries, and the defeat has made all internal disputes public.