The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) faced one of its poorest electoral performances in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, marking a significant setback for leader Tejashwi Yadav. Despite confidently announcing November 18 as the swearing-in date before results, the Opposition coalition failed to expand beyond its traditional Muslim-Yadav support base. Multiple factors contributed to this debacle: the absence of favourable indirect influences like Chirag Paswan's 2020 split from the NDA, a weak narrative compared to his earlier 10 lakh jobs promise, and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) eating into Muslim votes in the Seemanchal region. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, popularly known as the 'dashazari' scheme providing Rs 10,000 to women entrepreneurs, successfully countered Tejashwi's Mai Bahin Maan Yojana. The RJD's seven-party coalition, including Congress and smaller allies, failed to strengthen its social combination, exposing structural weaknesses within the alliance.
Challenges Ahead for Tejashwi and the RJD
Tejashwi Yadav now faces the task of revitalizing the RJD and broadening its narrow voter base beyond the traditional Yadav-Muslim combination. A key challenge is balancing core Yadav voter loyalty while attracting Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) communities. Reports suggest Yadav dominance in constituencies like Tejashwi's Raghopur has hindered outreach to EBCs. Simply having allies like the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) from these communities proved insufficient. The RJD needs to allocate tickets proportionate to EBC population and develop a compelling alternative vision. His explanation of 'friendly fights' as 'tactical' damaged alliance credibility. Tejashwi must also address his dual inheritance: while being Lalu Prasad's son remains an asset, memories of 'jungle raj' continue to be a liability requiring stronger coalition management.
Source: Link