Spotlight on Mahendragarh’s Sanjay Yadav after Lalu’s daughter quits politics

Sanjay Yadav, one of the two individuals named by Rohini Acharya, daughter of a former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, in a social media post announcing her exit from politics, hails from Nangal Sirohi village in Mahendragarh district.

A Rajya Sabha MP from the RJD, Sanjay is considered a trusted aide of former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, the son and heir apparent of RJD supremo Lalu Yadav.

Sanjay came into the political spotlight two days ago after Rohini's post on ‘X’: “I’m quitting politics and I’m disowning my family… This is what Sanjay Yadav and Rameez had asked me to do…. and I’m taking all the blame.”

Rajender (56), Sanjay's cousin who resides at Nangal Sirohi, said Sanjay and his mother used to visit the village in two-three months. In October 2024, Sanjay had hosted a dinner at the village to mark the ‘Kua Pujan’ ceremony for his son. Tejashwi Yadav, his sister Misa Bharti, and several politicians attended the function, he claimed.

“Tejashwi and his family spent several hours at the village, which shows how close Sanjay is to them. Currently, Sanjay and his mother reside in Najafgarh (Delhi). He is scheduled to visit the village on November 26 to attend my daughter’s wedding on November 29,” Rajender said.

Recalling Sanjay’s early years in the village, he said, “He studied up to class 12 locally and scored well. Our uncle, who was an ASI with the Delhi Police, called him to Delhi for higher studies. That is when Tejashwi and he became friends,” he said.

Sanjay had visited the village three months ago. “We also discussed the upcoming Bihar elections, and he was confident about the RJD forming the government,” he said.

Gukul Chand, sarpanch of Nangal Sirohi, said Sanjay’s father, who had served in the Army, passed away more than five years ago. “Nangal Sirohi has a population of over 12,000 with over 5,500 votes and Sanjay comes from an ordinary family,” he added.