Family Rift Rocks RJD After Electoral Collapse
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is facing a severe internal crisis following the party's disastrous performance in the Bihar Assembly elections, with the fissures within Lalu Prasad's family coming out into the open dramatically. Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav, announced on Saturday that she was quitting politics and disowning her family, sending shockwaves through the party ranks.
Cryptic Social Media Post Signals Break
Acharya made the stunning declaration through a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter), stating: "I am quitting politics and I am disowning my family... This is what Sanjay Yadav and Rameez had asked me to do, and I am taking all the blame." The timing of her announcement was particularly significant, coming just a day after the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the incumbent NDA in the Bihar polls.
The election results saw the NDA storming back to power, while the RJD's tally plunged dramatically to 25 seats from the 75 seats it had secured in the 2020 elections. This massive setback appears to have triggered the internal conflicts that had been simmering within the party's first family for months.
Growing Discord Within Lalu's Household
The tensions within the Lalu family had become increasingly visible in recent months. Last month, Rohini Acharya had unfollowed both her father Lalu Prasad and brother Tejashwi Yadav on X, a move widely interpreted as signaling growing family discord. Her social media activity had also included posts criticizing the rising influence of Sanjay Yadav within the RJD.
Sanjay Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been a close aide of Tejashwi Yadav, who spearheaded the party's campaign in the elections. Rameez, the other person named in Acharya's post, is said to be a long-time friend of Tejashwi and belongs to a political family from Uttar Pradesh.
RJD sources revealed that the conflict intensified when Acharya's suggestions regarding candidate selection in Assembly seats under the Saran parliamentary constituency were reportedly rejected by Tejashwi and Sanjay Yadav. "Her idea was to cultivate Saran from where she could contest again in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls but Tejashwi and Sanjay Yadav apparently shot it down," the sources said.
From Kidney Donor to Political Exit
Acharya, a doctor by training, had largely stayed out of active politics until recent years, choosing instead to become a homemaker and settle with her husband in Singapore. She made headlines in 2022 when she donated a kidney to her father Lalu Prasad, who underwent kidney treatment in Singapore.
Her political journey saw her being fielded by the RJD from the Saran constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where she was defeated by BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy by over 13,600 votes. There was also speculation that Acharya was upset over the expulsion of her elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, from the RJD and the Lalu family in May this year following a social media post indicating his "long relationship" with a woman.
The internal rifts within the Lalu family have deepened despite public shows of unity during the election campaign. With Lalu Prasad reportedly declining to intervene in the matter, Acharya had left Patna for Singapore, unfollowing all RJD leaders including her father and brother on social media before making her final exit announcement.
As the RJD grapples with this latest crisis, political observers note that the party's internal conflicts could have long-term implications for its future in Bihar politics, especially with Tejashwi Yadav's leadership facing serious questions after the electoral debacle.
