RJD to Expand Beyond Bihar, Eyes National Party Status: Tejashwi Yadav

By Tajdar H. Zaidi

Patna: Signalling a strategic shift in the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s political roadmap, party working president Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday announced that the RJD would now look beyond Bihar and attempt to expand its footprint across other States.

The move marks a departure from the party’s earlier approach of limiting its electoral battles to Bihar to avoid splitting what it calls “secular votes” in alliance politics.

Tejashwi announced while addressing a gathering in Patna on the 38th death anniversary of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, widely regarded as the political mentor of his father and RJD founder Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The event served both as a tribute and as a platform for charting the party’s future direction.

“From March onwards, we will launch a membership and organisational strengthening drive. Lalu Prasad built the RJD into a major political force in Bihar.

It is now our responsibility to take that legacy forward and work towards achieving recognition as a national party,” Tejashwi said.

He added that the RJD would no longer restrict itself to Bihar in the interest of coalition arithmetic. “Earlier, we refrained from contesting elections in some States to prevent division of secular votes among alliance partners.

But in the days ahead, we will seek to expand our base not just in Bihar but also in other States,” he said.

A Political Heir Carrying Forward a Legacy

Tejashwi Yadav, currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, inherited the political mantle from his father Lalu Prasad Yadav, one of the most influential and controversial figures in Bihar’s post-Mandal politics.

Lalu, who rose to prominence in the 1990s as a champion of backward caste empowerment, founded the RJD in 1997 after splitting from the Janata Dal.

However, his long political career has also been marred by corruption allegations, most notably the multi-crore fodder scam cases, in which he was convicted.

Despite legal setbacks and periods of imprisonment, Lalu continues to wield moral and symbolic authority within the party.

Tejashwi’s elevation last month as the RJD’s national working president marked a formal generational transition within the party, though Lalu remains its founding president.

Tejashwi himself entered politics after a brief stint as a professional cricketer and quickly rose through the ranks.

He served as Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister in the Grand Alliance government and has since emerged as the principal face of the RJD’s campaign against both the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

INDIA Bloc Dynamics

The RJD is a key constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, which seeks to present a united front against the BJP at the national level.

Tejashwi’s expansion announcement could have implications for seat-sharing negotiations within the alliance in future Assembly and parliamentary elections.

While reaffirming his commitment to alliance politics, Tejashwi struck an assertive tone, signalling that the party would not indefinitely limit its ambitions.

“With the support of party workers and the people, I see no reason why we cannot become a force to reckon with nationally,” he said.

Criticism of Nitish Kumar

Turning his attention to Bihar’s ruling dispensation, Tejashwi alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was “achet” (not in his senses) and running the government as a “kathputli” (puppet) of senior bureaucrats and his dominant ally, the BJP.

“I had said I would remain silent until this government completed 100 days. That deadline ends in four days.

We will hold the government accountable for failing to deliver on promises made during the elections—many of which were borrowed from our manifesto,” he said.

Tejashwi also urged party workers not to be disheartened by the RJD’s defeat in the last Assembly polls. “We did not lose because we were weak.

We were going through difficult times. Our time will come,” he told supporters, framing the setback as temporary.

Road Ahead

The proposed expansion drive is expected to include organisational restructuring, membership campaigns, and outreach programmes aimed at strengthening the RJD’s presence outside Bihar.

Whether the party can replicate its Mandal-era social justice appeal in other States remains to be seen, but the announcement clearly signals a shift from defensive coalition politics to broader national aspirations.

For Tejashwi Yadav, the challenge lies in balancing the legacy of a powerful but controversial political family while redefining the RJD’s identity for a new generation of voters.

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