As Cracks Appear In Lalu Yadav's Clan, A Look At Other Political Family Feuds

The Rashtriya Janata Dal's massive defeat in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election exposed what was perhaps already known - an unprecedented feud within veteran politician and party patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav's family. The party, once dominant with 75 seats in 2020, collapsed to 25 seats in 2025, its worst performance in 15 years. As the Mahagathbandhan shrank to only 35 seats, cracks inside the Yadav household came out in the open.

Lalu's second daughter Rohini Acharya, left the family home in Patna, accusing her brother Tejashwi Yadav and his close aides Sanjay Yadav and Ramiz Khan of harassment. She claimed she was abused, hit with slippers, and told to leave. Three sisters, Rajlakshmi, Ragini and Chanda, also left with their families.

Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, expelled by Lalu earlier this year for six years, publicly backed Rohini and attacked Tejashwi's aides. Tej Pratap was ousted after Lalu Prasad accused him of “ignoring moral values” following a Facebook post about a long-term relationship that the family said damaged their image. Tej Pratap then launched a separate outfit, Janshakti Janata Dal, and lost the Mahua seat in the recent polls.

Major Indian Political Family Feuds

The KCR-KTR-Kavitha Feud (Telangana - BRS)

The feud in K Chandrashekar Rao's family is a power struggle between his son KT Rama Rao (KTR) and daughter K Kavitha over control of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Their rivalry grew after 2019, when Kavitha lost the Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat and felt sabotaged. The conflict became public after the BRS lost the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections.

In 2024, Kavitha was arrested in the Delhi liquor case and accused KTR's supporters of sidelining her, leaking her private letters to KCR, and targeting her through party campaigns. She also claimed they discussed merging the BRS with the BJP. Opposition leaders said KTR had her phone tapped, while senior BRS leaders backed KTR and criticised Kavitha.

The Yadavs Of Samajwadi Party (Uttar Pradesh)

The Samajwadi Party's most widely known family feud involves founder Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav. Tensions started when Akhilesh, as Chief Minister, began sidelining senior leaders close to Shivpal. Matters worsened in 2016 when Mulayam temporarily expelled Akhilesh from the party during the bitter fight over control of the SP's organisational machinery. The feud resulted in Shivpal launching his own party, the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party.

The Thackerays (Maharashtra)

The Shiv Sena's founding patriarch Bal Thackeray's legacy became the centre of an internal divide. Raj Thackeray, Balasaheb's nephew, left the Sena after feeling ignored in favour of Bal's son Uddhav and formed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 2006. This was the first major split. The second was in 2022 when Eknath Shinde led a revolt against Uddhav, splitting the Shiv Sena itself. The Shinde split wasn't a family feud.

The Karunanidhi Family (Tamil Nadu - DMK)

The DMK witnessed a prolonged feud between MK Stalin and his elder brother MK Alagiri. Alagiri felt sidelined when Stalin emerged as Karunanidhi's chosen successor. Their feud ended in Alagiri's suspension from the party. Tensions also simmered between the Maran brothers and Stalin's camp over business interests and influence in the party. Even today, murmurs continue over the rise of Udhayanidhi Stalin, and how his aunt Kanimozhi may respond to future succession decisions.

The Chautalas (Haryana - INLD/JJP)

The Devi Lal Chautala clan has experienced repeated internal disputes over inheritance and political succession. Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala's sons, Ajay Chautala and Abhay Chautala, fell out bitterly. Their conflict eventually led Ajay's son, Dushyant Chautala, to break away and float the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

The Paswans (Bihar - LJP)

After the death of Ram Vilas Paswan, his son Chirag Paswan and brother Pashupati Kumar Paras clashed for control of the Lok Janshakti Party. Paras led a revolt that removed Chirag from the parliamentary faction. Chirag accused him of betrayal, while Paras argued that Chirag's leadership was sinking the party. The Election Commission recognised separate factions - Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, and the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) led by Pashuparti Kumar.

The Jaganmohan Reddy - Vivekananda Reddy Rift (Andhra Pradesh)

The YSR family saw a bitter split after the YSRCP came to power in 2019. YS Sharmila accused her brother YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and their cousin Avinash Reddy of involvement in the 2019 murder of her uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy. She also clashed with Jagan over family business shares and eventually left to join the Congress. The YSRCP's defeat in 2024 deepened the rift.

The Mahajan-Munde Families (Maharashtra - BJP)

This extended political family saw multiple crises. The most shocking incident was Pravin Mahajan shooting his brother Pramod Mahajan in 2006. Later, after Gopinath Munde's death, his daughters Pankaja and Pritam Munde faced internal friction over party roles and electoral ambitions.

The PMK Feud

The Pattali Makkal Katchi is witnessing a fight between founder Dr S Ramadoss and his son Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Ramadoss Sr publicly said it was a “mistake” to elevate his son as a Union minister. The feud involves political disagreements, property disputes, and grievances. This threatens the survival of the party ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu election.