Patna, March 29: Rift within the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) camp has widened ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019, with the party's de facto chief Tejashwi Yadav issuing ticket to his brother Tej Pratap Yadav's estranged father-in-law Chandrika Rai. The candidature of Rai from Saran -- a seat which RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has won 4 times -- has infuriated Tej Pratap, who is seeking divorce from Aishwarya Rai, the daughter of the RJD candidate from the seat.

Sources close to Tej Pratap, while speaking to news agency IANS, said he is "feeling insulted and humiliated" by the party's decision to field Rai from the constituency of Saran. The 31-year-old is reportedly considering to contest from the constituency as an independent candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019. RJD to Contest 19 Seats in Bihar Including Darbhanga and Madhyapura, Congress Gets 9.

Further hinting an open rebellion, Tej Pratap tweeted saying, "Naive are those who think I am naive. I know exactly who stands where."

On Thursday, Tej Pratap announced his decision to quit from all party posts, including the chief of RJD students' wing.

Officially, the party has maintained that Tej Pratap continues to share cordial relations with Tejashwi. However, RJD insiders claim that a silent battle is brewing between the two brothers since last year, when Lalu Prasad was sent to jail after conviction in the fodder case.

Tej Pratap is reportedly irked with Tejashwi, despite being younger to him, emerging as the heir-apparent to the RJD chief. The latter played a key role in inking the Mahagathbandhan pact with the Congress, RLSP, HAM(S), CPI(M-L) and VIP.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 29, 2019 07:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).