Lalu%20Prasad%u2019s%20son%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%2C%20who%20was%20considered%20a%20political%20novice%20just%20a%20few%20months%20back%2C%20emerged%20as%20a%20dark%20horse%20but%20lost%20in%20the%20last%20leg%20of%20the%20poll%20race%20to%20Nitish%20Kumar-led%20National%20Democratic%20Alliance%20in%20Bihar.%20The%20ruling%20alliance%20sailed%20past%20the%20majority%20with%20125%20seats%2C%20while%20the%20grand%20alliance%20led%20by%20Rashtriya%20Janata%20Dal%u2019s%20Yadav%20had%20to%20settle%20for%20110%20seats.%20The%20RJD%2C%20however%2C%20emerged%20as%20the%20largest%20party%20in%20the%20state.

For%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%2C%20this%20election%20was%20more%20than%20grabbing%20the%20power%20of%20the%20state.%20It%20also%20meant%20establishing%20himself%20as%20the%20legitimate%20heir%20of%20Lalu%20Yadav%2C%20who%20ruled%20Bihar%20for%2015%20years%20and%20is%20now%20serving%20a%20jail%20term%20in%20Jharkhand%20following%20his%20conviction%20in%20a%20case%20related%20to%20a%20fodder%20scam%20in%20Bihar.

Tejashwi%2C%20in%20fact%2C%20strategically%20kept%20father%20Lalu%20out%20of%20his%20campaigns%2C%20even%20refusing%20to%20defend%20him%20openly%20and%20in%20some%20cases%20apologising%20for%20the%20mistakes%20during%20his%20father%u2019s%20tenure.%20If%20Lalu%20Prasad%20pitched%20for%20social%20justice%20when%20he%20began%2C%20Tejashwi%20made%20economic%20justice%20his%20unique%20selling%20point.

In%20RJD%u2019s%20first%20assembly%20election%20minus%20Lalu%20Prasad%2C%20Tejashwi%20made%20unemployment%20in%20the%20state%20an%20election%20issue%20to%20accuse%20the%20Nitish%20Kumar%20government%20of%20ignoring%20youths%20and%20promoting%20migration.%20He%20did%20manage%20to%20breach%20Fort%20JD%28U%29%20but%20the%20BJP%u2019s%20reinforcement%20pulled%20the%20strings%20of%20his%20victory%20march.

When%20Tejashwi%20started%20off%2C%20not%20many%20were%20convinced%20about%20his%20ability%20as%20a%20leader%2C%20he%20played%20second%20fiddle%20to%20the%20Congress%20in%20the%202015%20elections.%20However%2C%20a%20few%20weeks%20before%20the%20polling%20in%20October%2C%20he%20emerged%20from%20his%20cloak%20of%20an%20underdog%20and%20took%20control%20with%20his%20million-jobs%20promise%20becoming%20a%20talking%20point.%20He%20drew%20a%20major%20crowd%20at%20his%20poll%20rallies%20with%20his%20%27Bihari%20Yuva%27%20pitch%20that%20resonated%20well%20with%20young%20voters%20in%20the%20state.

Tejashwi%2C%20unlike%20his%20father%2C%20carefully%20chose%20his%20enemies%2C%20and%20friends%20too.%20Gauging%20the%20current%20equation%20between%20Chief%20Minister%20Nitish%20Kumar%20and%20Lok%20Janshakti%20Party%20chief%20Chirag%20Paswan%2C%20the%20RJD%20leader%20maintained%20a%20cordial%20%u201CBade%20Bhai%u201D%20relationship%20with%20Chirag%20Paswan.

All%20exit%20polls%20gave%20a%20massive%20mandate%20to%20the%20grand%20alliance%20led%20by%20Tejashwi.%20Early%20trends%20also%20favoured%20the%20RJD%20chief%20but%20the%20party%20fell%20back%20to%2075%20seats%20out%20of%20144%20it%20fought%20as%20the%20counting%20progressed.%20Though%20the%20party%20failed%20to%20gain%20the%20majority%20but%20the%20fight%20itself%20established%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%u2019s%20authority%20in%20his%20party.%20At%20the%20start%20of%20the%20election%20announcement%2C%20all%20poll%20surveys%20put%20him%20much%20behind.%20But%20now%20his%20biggest%20introduction%20has%20changed%20from%20Lalu%20Prasad%u2019s%20youngest%20son%20to%20a%20prominent%20leader%20in%20the%20state.%20His%20team%20tried%20to%20make%20Tejaswhi%20a%20man%20of%20his%20own%20and%20he%20succeeded%20in%20it%20with%20his%20solo%20picture%20on%20RJD%u2019s%20poll%20posters.

RJD%20was%20known%20to%20be%20an%20M-Y%20%28Muslim-Yadav%29%20party%20but%20Tejashwi%20renamed%20it%20as%20A%20to%20Z%20party%20which%20is%20above%20caste%2C%20religion%2C%20and%20sexes.

Though%20Tejashwi%20could%20not%20finish%20his%20schooling%2C%20he%20got%20his%20political%20training%20straight%20from%20his%20parents%20Lalu%20and%20Rabri%20Devi%2C%20both%20ex-chief%20ministers%20of%20Bihar.%20Tejashwi%20served%20as%20deputy%20Chief%20Minister%20of%20Bihar%20for%2018%20months%20with%20Nitish%20Kumar%20after%20the%20huge%20win%20in%202015.

Leading%20the%20Mahagathbandhan%20with%20the%20Congress%2C%20Tejashwi%20brought%20in%20the%20Left%20parties%20for%20the%20first%20time%20in%20its%20fold%2C%20a%20feat%20which%20even%20Lalu%20could%20have%20envied.

He%20was%20reluctant%20to%20go%20to%20the%20polls%20due%20to%20the%20Covid-19%20pandemic%20but%20as%20soon%20as%20the%20dates%20of%20the%20election%20were%20announced%2C%20he%20did%20not%20look%20back.%20His%20poll%20strategy%20team%20swung%20in%20action%20for%20the%20virtual%20and%20actual%20rallies.

Tejashwi%20started%20to%20pull%20a%20crowd%20much%20more%20than%20expected.%20And%20after%20the%20famous%20job%20promise%2C%20he%20became%20the%20flavour%20of%20the%20season%20attracting%20youths%20in%20thousands%20at%20his%20rallies.%20He%20addressed%20as%20many%20as%2019%20rallies%20in%20a%20day%20and%20finished%20with%20a%20tally%20of%20251%2C%20breaking%20the%20record%20of%20his%20father%20Lalu%20Yadav%2C%20who%20had%20addressed%20243%20rallies%20in%202015.

Tejashwi%20had%20opponents%20like%20PM%20Modi%20and%20three-time%20Chief%20Minister%20Nitish%20Kumar%20and%20was%20attacked%20with%20all%20sorts%20of%20barbs%20including%20the%20one%20by%20Prime%20Minister%20Narendra%20Modi%u2019s%20%u2018Jungle%20ke%20Yuvraj%u2019%2C%20but%20he%20remained%20undeterred%20and%20held%20on%20to%20his%20economic%20progress%20plank.

A%20rather%20sober%20politician%2C%20Chief%20Minister%20Nitish%20Kumar%20also%20attacked%20his%20parents%20over%20the%20number%20of%20siblings%20he%20has%20but%20Tejaswi%20responded%20with%20humility%20addressing%20him%20as%20aadarniya%20%28Respected%29%20and%20Chacha%20%28uncle%29.%20He%20fumbled%20once%20by%20stating%20%u2018Babu%20sahab%u2019%20referring%20to%20a%20particular%20caste%20but%20his%20team%20covered%20up%20and%20he%20was%20quick%20to%20do%20the%20damage%20control.

Back%20on%20November%203%2C%202017%2C%20a%20visibly%20upset%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%20had%20written%20a%20post%20how%20%u201CAadarniy%20Nitish%20Chacha%u201D%20had%20allegedly%20planned%20his%20political%20assassination%20by%20putting%20out%20his%20photograph%20with%20a%20girl%20that%20was%20taken%20in%202010.%20He%20claimed%20that%20the%20picture%20was%20taken%20in%20an%20%u2018after%20match%20party%u2019%2C%20and%20added%20that%20though%20the%20post%20was%20done%20by%20his%20spookies%2C%20it%20was%20Nitish%20Kumar%20who%20engineered%20that.%20At%20that%20time%20Nitish%20Kumar%20had%20parted%20ways%20with%20RJD.%20Nitish%20Kumar%u2019s%20spokesperson%20had%20started%20an%20all%20out%20attack%20against%20his%20deputy%20for%2018%20months.

Tejashwi%20Yadav%20is%20a%20changed%20politician%20now.%20He%20has%20learned%20how%20to%20reply%2C%20duck%20and%20deflect%20a%20question.%20Earlier%20this%20month%2C%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20Opoyi%2C%20he%20smartly%20skipped%20the%20question%20of%20the%20impact%20of%20Lalu%u2019s%20absence%20in%20the%20election%20campaign%20saying%20that%20it%20is%20the%20party%2C%20which%20fights%20the%20election.

It%20is%20to%20be%20seen%20how%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%2C%20being%20the%20leader%20of%20the%20largest%20party%20in%20the%20state%2C%20contributes%20to%20a%20constructive%20Opposition%20in%20Bihar.

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23BiharElection2020%22%20data-user-id%3D%22BV2zd2QfB7Kx%22%20href%3D%22/topic/bihar-election-2020%22%3E%23BiharElection2020%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23TejashwiYadav%22%20data-user-id%3D%2242LF5CuYoO3t%22%20href%3D%22/topic/tejashwi-yadav%22%3E%23TejashwiYadav%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23LaluPrasadYadav%22%20data-user-id%3D%2279O2uuXtRR59%22%20href%3D%22/topic/lalu-yadav%22%3E%23LaluPrasadYadav%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23NitishKumar%22%20data-user-id%3D%226qzS1kYkZwEl%22%20href%3D%22/topic/nitish-kumar%22%3E%23NitishKumar%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23BJP%22%20data-user-id%3D%22cqfihWqpWO59%22%20href%3D%22/topic/bjp%22%3E%23BJP%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23RJD%22%20data-user-id%3D%22o8dyCkCeGRfw%22%20href%3D%22/topic/rjd%22%3E%23RJD%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B