Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has returned from a vacation in Europe and is expected to resume full political activity this week, as the party prepares for a period of internal restructuring and grassroots mobilisation ahead of the panchayat elections in Bihar.
Party sources said Tejashwi will shortly convene a meeting in Patna with the state president and senior leaders to review organisational performance and finalise the RJD’s strategy for the months ahead. The discussions are likely to include a detailed assessment of the party’s showing in the recent assembly elections, where weaknesses at the district and block levels were flagged as a key factor behind the defeat.
According to leaders familiar with the deliberations, the party has concluded that many local committees remained inactive during the campaign, with excessive reliance placed on external agencies rather than the organisation’s own cadre network. Tejashwi is now expected to move quickly to address these gaps.
As part of the overhaul, the RJD plans to appoint around 50 district presidents and nearly 265 block presidents, a process that is expected to be completed within a month. There is also speculation within party circles that the post of state president, currently held by Mangani Lal Mandal, could be reviewed as part of a wider leadership reset.
Tejashwi is also expected to decide whether the party will host its traditional Chura-Dahi gathering at Rabri Devi’s residence on 10 Circular Road in Patna on Makar Sankranti, January 14. The event typically draws RJD leaders and workers from across the state. Lalu Prasad, who is recovering in Delhi following eye surgery, is expected to return to Patna around the festival, along with his eldest daughter, Misa Bharti.
After Makar Sankranti, Tejashwi is planning a Yatra of Bihar, with dates likely to be finalised depending on weather conditions. During these visits, he is expected to engage with party workers and the public, while reiterating his view that “invisible forces” played a role in the RJD’s electoral setback — a claim he has made previously.
With panchayat elections due in Bihar later this year, the RJD leadership sees the local polls as a crucial opportunity to rebuild organisational strength at the grassroots. Although the elections are officially non-partisan, parties traditionally back their own supporters, making them an important test of cadre mobilisation and influence at the village level.
