Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will hold a meeting of its national executive committee on January 25, a gathering that is expected to formalise a major leadership transition within the party.
According to senior party leaders, Lalu Prasad will announce his younger son, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, as the party’s national working president. The meeting, scheduled to begin at 11 am at a city hotel in Patna, will be attended by RJD MPs, MLAs, state presidents and senior office-bearers from across the country.
Tejashwi Yadav, who has been the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar legislative assembly, was the chief ministerial face of the Grand Alliance in both the 2020 and 2025 assembly elections. For several years, he has played a central role in the party’s decision-making, including the selection of candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
Party sources say the move reflects the changing role of Lalu Prasad, whose public and organisational activity has diminished due to health concerns. During recent assembly elections, he limited his campaigning to a handful of appearances around Patna, travelling in a specially equipped vehicle and avoiding large gatherings. As a result, the party leadership has concluded that a formal transfer of operational authority is necessary to ensure continuity.
At the executive meeting, Tejashwi is expected to be vested with full powers to take organisational and political decisions. The agenda is also likely to include the allocation of fresh responsibilities to senior leaders at the state and national levels, as well as possible disciplinary action against party members accused of anti-party activities during the last assembly election.
Beyond organisational matters, the meeting will review the prevailing political situation in Bihar and chart a phased programme of public outreach. RJD leaders believe the current state government will struggle to fulfil its election promises, and the party is expected to plan block-level and state-level agitations and campaigns. Political and social resolutions, aimed at mobilising public support in the coming months, are also likely to be adopted.
