After Bihar poll rout, RJD eyes leadership, strategy reset; Tejashwi’s elevation on the cards

Tejashwi Yadav

• Rohini Acharya publicly challenged Tejashwi Yadav to address party issues
• RJD plans to make Tejashwi Yadav national working president soon
• RJD to increase public engagement after election setback

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As the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) convened its first meeting on January 16 and 17 after its Assembly election setback to chalk out a future roadmap, party chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya stirred controversy by publicly challenging her brother and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav to “identify the vultures in the party and punish them.”

In a post on X, Acharya said, "The need is to introspect and take responsibility instead of putting up a show of review. Only after the vultures around oneself are courageously shown their place, will a review will carry any meaning? In any case, the public knows and understands everything".

The party, despite her statement, moved ahead with plans to make the former deputy CM its national working president in the near future, keeping in mind Lalu’s health issues, according to a report by The Indian Express.

“Tejashwiji pointed out that RJD secured over 30 lakh more votes in last year’s Assembly polls compared to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. All leaders expressed full faith in Tejashwiji, and it would not come as a surprise if he is made the national working president soon,” an RJD leader told the publication post the meeting.

The review meeting was attended by party leaders, including Misa Bharti, Manoj Jha, Sanjay Yadav, Sudhakar Singh, among others.

Notably, Acharya had previously held her brother and his trusted aides, Sanjay Yadav and Rameez -- both seen as wielding considerable influence -- responsible for the party’s poll rout. According to RJD sources cited by PTI, her resentment was further fuelled by the denial of tickets to several candidates she had supported.

Acharya had also alleged that Yadav and his associates had berated her for donating a kidney to her father who underwent transplant a few years ago.

She had also made an unsuccessful electoral debut from Saran, her father's strong hold in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, following a drop in its Assembly tally to 25 seats in 2025 from 75 in 2020, the RJD has also signalled a shift in its strategy.

Sources cited in The India Express report said the party has decided to step-up interactions with people instead of merely “reacting to the functioning of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government” and statements by leaders of the ruling alliance.