Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has appointed his younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, as the party’s first-ever national working president during a national executive meeting in Patna. The move signals a generational transition amid Lalu’s health concerns and the party’s post-election regrouping.
The announcement, hailed as “dawn of a new era”, came at the inaugural session of the two-day meeting attended by senior leaders, including former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and MP Misa Bharti. Lalu personally handed 36-year-old Tejashwi the appointment letter. Bihar RJD chief Mangani Lal Mandal formalized the decision. Party sources confirmed unanimous support, granting Tejashwi expanded authority over organizational matters, including candidate selection and alliance strategies.
Tejashwi’s elevation to the post follows the RJD’s underwhelming 2025 Bihar assembly election performance, where it secured only 25 of 143 contested seats despite leading the Mahagathbandhan alliance and topping vote share. Tejashwi retained his Raghopur seat as leader of opposition, positioning him as Lalu’s political heir. The new role formalizes his de facto control, in the wake of doctors’ advise to Lalu to limit stress on health grounds.
The party’s poor performance in the recent assembly election led to reports that everything was not fine within the family — with elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav and sister Rohini Acharya publicly criticizing Tejashwi over the poll debacle and alleged internal sabotage. Rohini called it a “conspiracy,” while dissident voices like MLA Bhai Birendra have been sidelined. It may be mentioned that the party constitution was amended last year to share decision-making powers equally between Lalu and Tejashwi.
