Lalu Prasad's Son Tejaswi Files Nomination for Bihar Elections

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad's younger son Tejaswi Yadav filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Bihar state assembly polls from Raghopur constituency today.

Cricketer-turned-politician Tejaswi, 26, filed the papers, accompanied by his father Lalu Prasad, elder brother Tej Pratap and other Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders in Hajipur, the district headquarters of Vaishali, about 30 km from Patna.

Mr Tejaswi Yadav exuded confidence before media of winning the seat, saying: "People have been supporting me and will vote for me in the polls. It is my traditional family seat," he said.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, 27, is in the fray from Mahua constituency.

Both Mahua and Raghopur are adjacent constituencies in Vaishali district, not far from Patna. Vaishali is considered a RJD stronghold.

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Mr Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi, a former Chief Minister, won several elections between 1995 to 2010 from Raghopur.

Mr Tejaswi Yadav, a popular face of the party, recently attended a rally with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in West Champaran district.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Satish Kumar Yadav, who joined the party hours before being declared its candidate, from Raghopur constituency. He was denied a ticket by the Janata Dal-United party, when the Raghopur seat was given to the RJD as per the seat-sharing formula.

In 2010, Mr Satish Yadav had defeated RJD's Ms Rabri Devi by 63,000 votes.

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In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Mr Lalu Prasad's elder daughter Misa Bharti, a doctor by profession, had unsuccessfully contested from Patliputra parliamentary seat in Patna.

The polls for the 243-member Bihar assembly will take place in five phases between October 12 and November 5, with the counting slated for November 8.