RJD prescribes return to basics after ’25 rout

NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Janata Dal’s post-mortem of its dismal performance in the Bihar assembly elections of late 2025 -- it won only 25 seats in the 243-member assembly, down from 75 in 2020 -- has recommended a return to basics, in terms of both the rehabilitation of senior leaders associated with party supremo Lalu Prasad who have since been sidelined and the partyt’s election strategy itself.

The report, prepared after a series of review meetings held between November and December 2025, holds Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav—considered the closest aide of former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav—responsible for the poll debacle, people familiar with the matter said. It recommends curtailing Sanjay Yadav’s role in managing party affairs in the wake of successive reverses in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

RJD  spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said that the meetings involved party leaders, legislators, election candidates and organisational office-bearers, and that divisional in-charges subsequently submitted the findings to state RJD president Mangani Lal Mandal, national vice-president Uday Narayan Choudhary and national general secretary Beenu Yadav.

“The report will be placed before Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi once they return to Patna. Sanjay Yadav was present at some of the review meetings,” he said.

Lalu Prasad is currently recuperating in New Delhi after an eye surgery and is staying at the residence of his eldest daughter and Lok Sabha MP Misa Bharti. Tejashwi Yadav returned to the capital on Sunday evening, after a month-long Europe trip with his family and is expected to be back in Patna after attending a family function on January 7.

According to a former RJD legislator involved in drafting the report, several factors contributed to the defeat, including the aggressive welfare push by chief minister Nitish Kumar and what the party described as effective management of the election machinery.

“However, the report stresses that the sidelining of seasoned leaders who had worked closely with Lalu Prasad proved particularly costly. Ignoring their political experience hurt the party badly. The document also criticises the party’s decision to emulate the election management model associated with poll strategist-turned-Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor, arguing that this approach alienated grassroots leaders. It alleges that external agencies hired from Delhi and Haryana operated out of Tejashwi’s official residence, failed to coordinate with local leaders and neglected work in several constituencies,”this person added, asking not to be named.

He further said that the report further links the party’s aggressive campaign tone—marked by songs and speeches invoking muscle power and abusive language—to the strategies of these agencies.

“Such messaging revived public fears of ‘jungle raj’, a narrative that the ruling National Democratic Alliance exploited effectively. Poor candidate selection in several traditional RJD strongholds and undue interference of Sanjay Yadav have also been flagged in the reviews. But we know that nothing will happen to him and his associates,” he said.

Echoing similar views, a RJD leader in Patna said that everyone in Bihar knows the role Sanjay Yadav and his associates played in RJD’s defeat.

“But no action will be taken against them. These reports will ultimately find their place in the dustbin. If such leaders stay in charge, the party will lose its base, much before the next assembly elections in Bihar,” he said, asking not to be named.

Sanjay Yada did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment.

Defending Sanjay Yadav, RJD state general secretary and spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan said the review was part of the party’s democratic process. “The Rajya Sabha MP made all the decisions with the consent of top leadership. So he alone can’t be held guilty for the defeat. Members and leaders are free to express their views, on which Lalu ji and Tejashwi ji will take a call on the future course of action. The re-constitution of state units is also due and it will soon take place.”

Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya and estranged son Tej Pratap Yadav have previously publicly targeted Sanjay Yadav over the party’s internal functioning and electoral performance.