With Tejashwi Yadav crowned its undisputed leader, RJD turns a page in Bihar election year

“Tejashwi ji was instrumental successful taking the party’s tally from a dismal 23 successful 2010 to 81 5 years aboriginal and securing 75 seats successful the 2020 Assembly polls. It was owed to his efforts that we emerged arsenic the azygous largest enactment successful the past 2 (Assembly) electrons. The nationalist enforcement has lone reinforced his leadership, which has energised the enactment adjacent arsenic Laluji continues to beryllium the party’s nationalist and ideological face,” RJD nationalist spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta told The Indian Express.

The RJD’s determination comes astatine a clip when, according to RJD insiders, differences appeared betwixt the begetter and lad implicit reaching retired to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar backmost into the Mahagathbandhan fold. While Lalu warmed up to Kumar earlier this month, saying the RJD’s “doors were open” for his return, Tejashwi termed the CM arsenic a “tired leader” and emphasised the request for “fresh ideas and leadership”.

Signalling an extremity to the “differences”, Lalu past showered praises connected his lad astatine the nationalist enforcement meeting. “He has led by illustration by taking guardant the party’s goals of socialism, secularism and societal justice,” the RJD laminitis said portion lauding Tejashwi for travelling crossed the authorities to “understand the people’s pulse”.

Tejashwi besides took the accidental to awesome a thaw successful ties with the Congress, its INDIA bloc and Mahagathbandhan ally, arsenic helium met the Leader of the Opposition successful the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who was successful Patna. The gathering came days aft Tejashwi said the INDIA bloc had travel unneurotic conscionable for the Lok Sabha polls. Gandhi excessively cosied up to the RJD and said the INDIA bloc would unitedly contention the Bihar Assembly polls adjacent year.

RJD authorities president and erstwhile MP Jagadanand Singh was conspicuous by his lack astatine the Saturday meeting. In 2020, Singh pushed for making Tejashwi the party’s look but has been sulking for the past mates of months. He has claimed that the enactment did not “listen to his advice” successful Assembly bypolls successful November successful which the enactment mislaid its strongholds Belaganj and Imamganj to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Tejashwi made his foray into progressive authorities successful 2013 and was archetypal tasked with energising the younker helping of the RJD. At the time, helium was seen to beryllium nether the tutelage of the RJD’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav, who had told The Indian Express however Tejashwi participated successful mock interviews, work socialist literature, and watched interviews of leaders specified arsenic erstwhile Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and socialist stalwart Geroge Fernandes to hole himself.

The erstwhile Deputy CM’s large infinitesimal came successful 2015 aft helium led the JD(U)-Congress-RJD harvester to 178 seats successful the 243-member Assembly, with his enactment emerging arsenic the single-largest with 81 seats. That the effect came successful the backdrop of his father’s imprisonment and failing health, made the triumph adjacent sweeter for him.

While remaining Deputy CM for 16 months, Tejashwi and his household faced CBI raids arsenic the father-son duo faced the cardinal agency’s vigor successful the IRCTC corruption case. After Nitish jumped vessel to articulation hands with the NDA successful 2017 and broke the confederation with the RJD, Tejashwi took implicit his party’s affairs.

It was Jagdanand Singh’s thought to usage Tejashwi’s pictures with the “10 lakh jobs” slogan, replacing the worn-out messages of societal justness and secularism. It propelled Tejashwi’s popularity to caller heights but the Mahagathbandhan fell 12 abbreviated of a elemental bulk successful the Assembly. While Tejashwi missed retired connected a instrumentality to powerfulness by a whisker, helium emerged arsenic a bigger person successful the state, 2nd lone to Nitish.

As Nitish returned to the Mahagathbandhan successful 2022, Tejashwi became Deputy CM yet again and reportedly convinced the CM to make jobs. Between August 2022 and January 2024, erstwhile Nitish switched backmost to the NDA, the Mahagathbandhan authorities rolled retired astir 3 lakh jobs. Since Nitish’s flip, Tejashwi has enactment guardant ideas specified arsenic a monthly pension of Rs 2,500 for the elderly, the Mai Bahan scheme, and 200 MW of escaped power.