"Options Are Open": Big Hint From Tej Pratap Yadav About Post-Poll Plans

Tej Pratap Yadav, the estranged son of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav, claimed he has "options" for after election. He also said the people of Mahua are his only family, and also hinted that he bears no enmity towards anyone - a loaded remark considering his current political and family situation. Asked who he would ally with after the election, he refused to give a straight reply. "Options are open. There are thousands of options... After victory, all options are open," he said.

Asked who his opponent is in Mahua - his constituency - Yadav said, "I have not done any wrong to anyone.  Anyway, whoever it is, people of Mahua want jobs and people choose jobs". 

Read: "I Would Choose Death Over Returning To RJD": Tej Pratap Yadav

Tej Pratap Yadav -- who was disowned by his family and dropped from the Rashtriya Janata Dal in May after his 12-year relationship with a woman came to light in a Facebook post that he claimed was hacked - soon formed the Janshakti Janata Dal or JJD.

Under the symbol of a blackboard, the party has fielded 22 candidates in the ongoing assembly election in Bihar. One of the constituencies is Raghopur, the family bastion.

Asked if the battle in Mahua is political or personal, he said, "We do not fight with anyone. We do not fight with anyone who is a devotee of Krishna or Mahadev. This is not in our nature".

While the RJD has traditionally sided with the Opposition, Tej Pratap Yadav, after forming his own party, had quoted Lord Krishna's words from Mahabharat. "This is a battleground. There is no brother, no nephew, only the enemy," he said when asked why he was campaigning against the RJD. Then he had said he would "choose death over returning to the RJD".

Read: "No Brother In Battleground, Only Enemy": 'Fredo' Tej Pratap Yadav's War Cry

Today, he said, "You asked a question that the family has disowned me. My family is right here. The people of Mahua.  Whatever we do, we do it from the heart. And we do not do anything for the leaders".

Read: Rabri Devi Extends "Best Wishes To Both Sons". They Are On Opposite Sides

Tej Pratap's relationship with his family has been icy since the estrangement. Recently, when he bumped into brother Tejashwi Yadav - his political heir and the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan - at the Patna airport, the two went their separate ways without speaking. 

Their mother, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, has however, extended her blessings to both her sons ahead of the election.