Tejashwi Yadav’s stunning journey: From IPL cricketer to quick political rise
The former cricketer holds records for youngest deputy CM of Bihar and youngest LoP in India, but faces multiple corruption and criminal cases too
From professional cricketer to a full-time politician, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has made a striking career for himself. Declared as the Bihar chief ministerial candidate of the Opposition INDIA bloc on Thursday (October 23), Tejashwi has already taken several big strides at a young age.
He holds the record for being the youngest deputy chief minister of Bihar — at a mere 26 years — and the youngest Leader of Opposition in India, at 27. And at 35, he is the declared CM candidate of the Opposition alliance in the state for the second time in a row.
Years as a cricketer
Tejashwi, the youngest son of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, both former Bihar chief ministers, was born in Bihar’s Gopalganj on November 9, 1989. He is the youngest of nine siblings.
After initial schooling in Patna, he moved to Delhi to join Delhi Public School. While he was playing in the DPS cricket team as the captain, he was selected for the Delhi U-15 cricket team at the age of 13. The captain of his team was none other than Virat Kohli.
Also read: Bihar polls: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav declared as CM candidate of Grand Alliance
The U-15 team won the national championship, with Tejashwi grabbing the spotlight in the finals. While in Class 10, he dropped out of school to pursue cricket professionally.
He got into the U-17 and U-19 Delhi cricket teams too, and later figured among the standby players for the World Cup-winning U-19 Indian national cricket team.
He went on to play for the Jharkhand cricket team and was contracted by the Delhi Daredevils for the 2008 Indian Premier League. However, he remained on the reserve bench for the entire seasons between 2008 and 2012.
Jump to politics
In 2013, Tejashwi retired from his cricketing career to become a full-time politician. His political life had begun much before that — in 2010 — when he campaigned for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
His tasted success early, with his first stint as MLA coming in the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, from Raghopur constituency. He went on to retain the seat in 2020 and is contesting it again this time.
The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), which then included Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), won the 2015 elections and he became the deputy chief minister at 26, besides holding the portfolio for public works, forestry, and environment in the fifth Nitish Kumar Cabinet.
Also read: Tejashwi assures permanent status for contract workers if INDIA Bloc wins Bihar polls
In March 2018, he became the de-facto leader of the RJD, leading the party in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, as the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan.
The alliance won 110 of the 243 seats, with RJD winning 75 seats, remaining the single largest political party in Bihar. But short of majority, the alliance could not form the government, and Tejashwi was elected the Leader of Opposition.
On 10 August 2022, he took oath again as the deputy chief minister — a stint that continued until Nitish Kumar left the Mahagathbandhan in 2024 and formed the NDA government with BJP.
Criminal cases and scams
Tejashwi is no stranger to controversies and scams. He is an accused in a 2017 CBI case against his parents and others on alleged irregularities in awarding contracts to maintain IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as railway minister (2004–2009). The case remains under trial in a Delhi court.
In 2022, the CBI filed a new case accusing Tejashwi and his parents and other family members of taking land from people in return for Group D railway jobs — again during Lalu’s tenure as railway minister. Hearing in the case in currently on in Delhi.
Also read: Bihar polls: RJD announces 143 candidates; Tejashwi from Raghopur
Tejashwi is also an accused in a 2020 murder case, along with his brother Tej Pratap Yadav. In his election affidavit that year, Tejashwi disclosed that he faces 11 criminal cases, including charges such as criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and offences under anti-corruption and money-laundering laws.
Tejashwi is married to long-time friend Rajshree Yadav (birth name Rachel Godinho), from Haryana. The couple has a daughter and a son.