The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD, ) is an Indian political party, mainly based in the Indian state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Lalu Prasad Yadav. The party's support base has traditionally been Other Backward Classes, Dalits and Muslims and it is considered a political champion of the lower castes.
In 2008, RJD received the status of recognized national level party following its performance in north-eastern states. RJD was derecognised as a national party on 30 July 2010. Leading the Mahagathbandhan alliance with 35 MLAs, it is currently the official opposition in Bihar. RJD is part of Ruling Government in Jharkhand with its allies in Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand).Jharkhand Legislative Assembly
History (1997-2015) Formation
There was pressure on Lalu Prasad Yadav to resign from Chief minister post within and outside of Janata Dal following being chargesheeted in the Fodder scam. On 5 July 1997, Pappu Yadav, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Mohammad Shahabuddin, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Kanti Singh, Mohammed Taslimuddin and Md Ali Ashraf Fatmi along with seventeen Lok Sabha MPs and eight Rajya Sabha MPs along with supporters gathered at New Delhi formed the new political party, Rashtriya Janata Dal. It was formed as breakaway of Janata Dal. Lalu Prasad was elected as the first president of RJD. It is a centre-left party.
With demands for his resignation continuing to mount, on 25 July, Lalu resigned from his position, but was able to install his wife, Rabri Devi as the new chief minister on the same day.
In the March 1998 national elections, RJD won 17 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar but failed to make significant headway in any other state. Later that year, the party formed an alliance with Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party as an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party secular coalition but the coalition failed in garnering any widespread support, and the party won only 7 seats in 1999 national elections.
In UPA
In the October 1999 elections, RJD fought the election in alliance with Indian National Congress but lost 10 Lok Sabha seats including the seat of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
In the 2000 Bihar election, however, it performed well, winning most of the seats in the state assembly. It gained majority by forming post poll alliance with Congress and agreeing for bifurcation of the state. Continuing its upswing in electoral fortunes, the party won 24 Lok Sabha seats in the 2004 elections that it fought in alliance with Indian National Congress. It was a part of Indian National Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) from 2004 - May 2009, wherein Lalu Yadav held the position of the Minister of Railways.
In February 2005 Bihar Legislative Assembly election RJD won only 75 seats and lost the power. In the state elections held later that year – as a result of no party being able to form a government and RJD continued its downward slide winning only 54 seats.
In 2009 Indian general election, the RJD broke its alliance from UPA when seat sharing talks failed. RJD formed its alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party and Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party what the media has dubbed the "Fourth Front". RJD performed poorly and won just four seats, all of them in Bihar. However, in 2010 Assembly election, the RJD did not continue their alliance with Samajwadi Party.
In the 2014 Indian general election, RJD came back to UPA and contested election in alliance with Indian National Congress and Nationalist Congress Party in Bihar. Out of 40 seats in Bihar, RJD will contest on 27 seats, INC on 12 and NCP on one. RJD won only four out of total forty Loksabha seats in Bihar.Rashtriya Janata Dal RJD Lok Sabha candidates for general election 2014 . Updatesindia.in (6 March 2014). Retrieved on 21 May 2014.RJD, Congress, NCP stitch up alliance in Bihar. Hindustan Times. Retrieved on 21 May 2014.
Organisation The party leadership consists of the following bodies.
National President Lalu Prasad Yadav is the National President of RJD.
National Vice President The national vice president members of the party Mangani Lal Mandal, Mohammad Ilyas Hussain, Ahmed Ashfaq Karim, Rabri Devi, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Shivanand Tiwary and Mehboob Ali Kaiser
National Secretary general: Abdul Bari Siddiqui.
National Treasurer: Sunil Kumar Singh
Political Affairs Committee National Executive Committee The national executive members of the party Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Misa Bharti, Prem Chandra Gupta, Manoj Jha, Abdul Bari Siddiqui and Ram Chandra Purve.
The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar
On 7 May 2015, the RJD expelled Pappu Yadav for six years due to anti-RJD activities after speculation rose that he may join the Biju Janata Dal for the 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election but he formed a new party called Jan Adhikar Party.
In November 2015, RJD won the elections as party became the single largest party with 80 followed by Janata Dal (United) with 71 seats, BJP with 53 seats and Congress with 27 seats. In terms of vote share, BJP came first with 24.4%, followed by RJD with 18.4% and JD (U) with 16.8% and Congress got 6.7%. Janata Dal (United)'s Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister and Lalu's son Tejashwi Yadav became the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.
In July 2017, following the corruption cases against Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar asked Yadav to resign from the cabinet, which was refused by RJD. In order to protect his clean image towards corruption, Nitish Kumar resigned on 26 July 2017, ending RJD's stake in Bihar government. What followed next was a coalition BJP and JDU as a result Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister again whereas Sushil Modi, a prominent BJP leader became the Deputy Chief Minister.
Alliance between Indian National Congress and the RJD factioned in October 2021, when Tejashwi Yadav gave tickets to candidates in Bihar By-elections, where Congress was fixed to stand candidates.
In August 2022, the Mahagathbandhan, Janata Dal (United), Indian National Congress, Hindustan Awam Morcha and Left Front joined again to form 2/3rd Majority government in Bihar Legislative Assembly.
In January 2024, Nitish Kumar left the Mahagathbandhan once again and joined hands with the BJP. He later became the chief minister once again.
In 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, RJD won just 25 seats and it slipped to third largest party. Its allies won 10 seats.
Controversies and criticism Mohammad Shahabuddin, a leader of RJD, has been involved in several criminal cases. Shahabuddin has been accused of several murders, be it of political rivals, or police officers.Shahabuddin gets 10 years. Indian Express (31 August 2007). Retrieved on 2015-10-26. Shahabuddin, through his lawyers, attempted to also intimidate the legal proceedings, which led to more criminal cases against him.
During Lalu Prasad Yadav's tenure as Chief Minister, Bihar's law and order was at lowest, kidnapping was on rise and private armies mushroomed. He was also criticized by opposition in the Shilpi-Gautam Murder case and the death of his daughter Ragini Yadav's friend, Abhishek Mishra, in mysterious circumstances.
An investigation into the land-for-jobs scam has implicated Lalu Prasad, along with both of his sons, as well as his wife Rabri Devi and his daughter, in addition to their involvement in other corruption scandals. Tejashwi Yadav allegedly threatened Central Bureau of Investigation agents who were investigating him in another corruption case.
Electoral performance Lok Sabha elections
Lok Sabha Term IndianGeneral election Seatscontested Seatswon Votes Polled % of votes State (seats) Ref. 12th Lok Sabha1998371,02,29,9712.68Bihar (7) 13th Lok Sabha19996110,150,4922.79Bihar (7) 14th Lok Sabha 2004429,384,1472.4Bihar (22) Jharkhand (2) 15th Lok Sabha 2009445,280,0841.3 Bihar (4) 16th Lok Sabha 2014307,442,3131.4 Bihar (4) 17th Lok Sabha 2019216,631,5851.1 N/A 18th Lok Sabha 20242310,107,4021.57 Bihar (4)
Bihar Vidhan Sabha elections Vidhan Sabha TermAssembly ElectionsSeats ContestedSeats Won% of votes% of votes in seats contestedParty VotesRef12th Vidhan Sabha200029328.3431.2810,500,36113th Vidhan Sabha2005 February 21025.0728.356,140,22314th Vidhan Sabha2005 October17523.4532.635,525,08115th Vidhan Sabha201016818.8427.315,475,65616th Vidhan Sabha201510118.444.356,995,50917th Vidhan Sabha202014423.1138.969,738,85518th Vidhan Sabha202514323.0011,546,055
Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha elections Vidhan Sabha TermJharkhand Assembly ElectionsSeats ContestedSeats Won% of votesParty VotesRef2nd Vidhan Sabha2005518.483rd Vidhan Sabha2009565.03517,3244th Vidhan Sabha2014193.13133,8155th Vidhan Sabha201972.75413,1676th Vidhan Sabha202473.44613,880
Kerala Vidhan Sabha elections Vidhan Sabha TermKerala Assembly ElectionsSeats ContestedSeats Won% of votesParty VotesRef16th Vidhan Sabha202630.82178,051
List of chief ministers Chief ministers No. Name Term in office Party Assembly (Election)3Rabri Devi25 July 199711 February 1999Rashtriya Janata DalEleventh Assembly2Rabri Devi9 March 1999 2 March 2000 Rashtriya Janata DalEleventh Assembly3Rabri Devi11 March 20006 March 2005Rashtriya Janata DalTwelfth Assembly
Deputy chief ministers No. Name Term in office Assembly (Election)1.Tejashwi Yadav26 November 201526 July 201717th Bihar Assembly2.Tejashwi Yadav10 August 202228 January 202418th Bihar Assembly
List of central ministers No.PhotoPortfolioName(Birth–Death)Assumed officeLeft officeDurationConstituency(House)1Minister of RailwaysLalu Prasad Yadav(born 1948)23 May 200422 May 2009Chapra(Lok Sabha)Manmohan Singh2Minister of Company Affairs[]Prem Chand Gupta(born 1950)23 May 200429 Jan 2006Bihar(Rajya Sabha)Minister of Company Affairs29 Jan 20069 May 2007Minister of Corporate Affairs9 May 200722 May 20093Minister of Rural DevelopmentRaghuvansh Prasad Singh(19462020)23 May 200422 May 2009Vaishali(Lok Sabha)4Minister of Agriculture()Akhilesh Prasad Singh(born 1962)Motihari(Lok Sabha)Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution()5Minister of Water Resources()Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav(born 1954)23 May 20046 Nov 2005Monghyr(Lok Sabha)24 Oct 200622 May 20096Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises()Kanti Singh(born 1957)29 Jan 20066 Apr 2008Arrah(Lok Sabha)Minister of Human Resource Development()23 May 200429 Jan 2006Minister of Tourism()6 Apr 200822 May 2009Minister of Culture()7 Minister of Human Resource Development()Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi(born 1956)23 May 200422 May 2009Darbhanga(Lok Sabha)8Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises()Mohammed Taslimuddin(19432017)23 May 200425 May 2004Kishanganj(Lok Sabha)Minister of Agriculture()25 May 200422 May 2009Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution()
Prominent members Present members Md Ali Ashraf Fatmi, close aide of Lalu Prasad Yadav, RJD Co-founder and ex- Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Four time member of parliament. Abdul Bari Siddiqui, close associate of Lalu Prasad Yadav former Leader of Leader of Opposition following the 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election until the split between JD(U) and BJP and former Finance Minister Govt. of Bihar. Former Bihar RJD President. Alok Kumar Mehta, National General Secretary of Rashtriya Janata Dal. Prem Kumar Mani, Vice President and Strategist of RJD. Jagada Nand Singh, Former State President of RJD for Bihar. Shivchandra Ram, former Member of legislative Assembly. Ram Chandra Purve is a Former member of the Bihar Legislative Council. Former state president of RJD. Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav General Secretary, RJD. Former Cabinet Minister Bihar Govt. Former Union Minister, MP. Sarfaraz Alam Former Minister Bihar Govt. Former MP Araria. Manoj Jha MP Rajya Sabha and National Spokesperson of RJD. Prem Chand Gupta MP Rajya Sabha and former cabinet minister in Ministry of Company Affairs of India in First Manmohan Singh ministry. Ahmad Ashfaque Karim Former MP Rajya Sabha.