In a crucial meeting held on Monday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislators unanimously elected Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as their legislative party leader. This significant political development comes as the party grapples with the severe setback it faced in the recent Bihar assembly elections.
Emotional Meeting at Tejashwi's Residence
The gathering, which took place at Tejashwi's Patna residence, was attended by newly elected MLAs as well as candidates who lost their electoral battles. The meeting saw the presence of the party's first family, including RJD national president Lalu Prasad, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, and their eldest daughter, party MP Misa Bharti.
According to insiders, the atmosphere was charged with emotion. Tejashwi Yadav "Tejashwi ji was seen emotional and gave the option to legislators to select anyone else," revealed one legislator present at the meeting. Tejashwi also made an indirect reference to internal family pressures, stating he had been asked to deny a ticket to someone but had refused, questioning whether his priority should be the party or the family. Despite the emotional undertones, Lalu Prasad made his support for his younger son clear. People familiar with the deliberations confirmed that Lalu stressed he had entrusted Tejashwi with responsibility and that he would continue in that role. The meeting also involved a detailed analysis of the party's unexpectedly poor performance, with a particular focus on seats that were lost by narrow margins. Adding to the drama, Sanjay Yadav, a close aide of Tejashwi who is at the center of the alleged turmoil within Lalu's family, was also present at this critical meeting. Following the internal meeting, senior RJD leaders addressed the media and squarely blamed Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the party's disastrous showing. RJD leader Jagadanand Singh stated, "Till the time machine (EVM) is there, democracy will be mocked. These machines were misused." When questioned, he confirmed that Tejashwi Yadav would also serve as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar legislative assembly. Another RJD MLA, Bhai Birendra, echoed this sentiment, telling the media, "We have to fight against EVMs. We demand that elections should be held using ballot papers." The RJD, which was the largest party in the 2020 assembly elections, managed to win only 25 out of the 143 seats it contested this time, finishing a distant third and marking a dramatic collapse in its political fortunes.Lalu's Backing and Election Post-Mortem
RJD Leaders Blame EVMs for Defeat
