A day after a crushing defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) reaffirmed its commitment to “public service” and called itself a “party of the poor.”
In a tweet, the party said: “Public service is an unceasing process, an endless journey! Ups and downs are inevitable in it. No sorrow in defeat, no arrogance in victory! The Rashtriya Janata Dal is the party of the poor, it will continue to raise their voice among the poor!”
On Friday, the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan received a crushing defeat at the hands of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). While the NDA bagged 202 seats, the Mahagathbandhan alliance managed only 35, with the RJD getting 25 seats.
Congress discusses poll outcome
Meanwhile, the Congress on Saturday questioned the role of the Election Commission in the poll process while its top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, went into a huddle to discuss the poll outcome.
Kharge and Gandhi were joined by AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, party treasurer Ajay Maken and AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, sources said.
According to sources, the leaders met to discuss the Congress’ poor performance in Bihar, where the party won only six of the 61 seats it contested, its second-worst show in the state after 2010, when it won only four seats.
Rohini Acharya’s exit: ‘Quitting politics, disowning family’
Just a day after RJD’s public admission of defeat, Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, made headlines by announcing her exit from politics — and her family. In a post on X, she wrote: “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.”
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While Sanjay Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP close to Tejashwi Yadav, and Rameez, another political associate, were named in her post — she did not elaborate on their demands. Rohini’s dramatic declaration underscores not just personal anguish but potentially deeper power fault-lines in the RJD’s first family.
Rohini’s break with her political lineage wasn’t sudden. Over recent months, she has been openly critical of the RJD leadership and detached from the party dynamics. She unfollowed Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi Yadav, and other senior leaders on social media, and removed family photos from her profiles.
Her past statements suggest little interest in power: “I have no desire for any position … nor do I have any political ambition … My self-respect … is supreme,” she had written.
Her criticisms have often centered on Sanjay Yadav’s influence, especially during the RJD’s campaign phases.
Tej Pratap Yadav, her brother, has vocally backed her — even warning those who “insult” her of facing Krishna’s “Sudarshan Chakra.”
(With agency inputs)
