Confronted with political and individual loneliness after being expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and alienated by the Lalu Prasad Yadav family, Tej Pratap Yadav has discovered an unlikely ally in Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Akhilesh called up Tej Pratap on a video call on Wednesday and made friendly overtures to a troubled soul.
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap posted about the call on his official X handle (previously Twitter).
"Today I spoke to one of the closest members of my family, former Chief Minister of UP, Akhilesh Yadav, through a lengthy video conversation. We spoke of the political scenario in Bihar. His telephone call to enquire about me made me feel that I'm never alone in this struggle," Tej Pratap tweeted.
Their conversation was soon caught on camera and went viral, with Akhilesh asking Tej Pratap about his politics and the constituency from which he might contest the forthcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
Tej Pratap replied he would go to Lucknow before reaching a decision.
Throughout the exchange, Akhilesh had invited Tej Pratap to participate in a forthcoming function along the banks of the Ganga and endearingly called him a "hero." He also urged him to stay in touch and assured him of continued support.
This is after a recent scandal, where Tej Pratap had claimed publicly a 12-year affair with Anushka Yadav, a revelation that caused commotion within the RJD and saw him ousted from the party as well as his family. This was later denied by Tej Pratap, claiming his social media profiles had been hacked.
He has since stayed out of the limelight, politically as well as personally.
But Akhilesh Yadav's gesture can also be the start of something new politically for Tej Pratap, with speculation abounding that this nascent chemistry could lead to an alliance between the SP and Tej Pratap in the run-up to the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls.
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