3 weeks ago
After Bankipur rout, RJD resets Bihar units as Kishor surges
In India, there is a political party called the RJD that works in a state called Bihar.
The party is not doing well right now.
In a recent vote for a seat called Bankipur, a man named Prashant Kishor won by a big margin of more than 19,000 votes.
His new party is called Jan Suraaj Party.
The RJD's own candidate came in third place and even lost her deposit money.
The RJD had also lost badly in big elections in 2025, winning only 25 seats instead of the 75 it had before.
So the party's leaders decided to make big changes.
They closed down all their local committees so they can build new ones.
Some party members are unhappy and say only a small group of close advisers is making all the decisions.
The party wants to fix these problems and do better in future elections.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor won the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, defeating the BJP's Neeraj Kumar Sinha by over 19,000 votes.
The RJD's Rekha Kumari Gupta finished a distant third in Bankipur and forfeited her security deposit.
Bihar RJD president Mangani Lal Mandal dissolved all state unit committees at district, block and panchayat levels.
The RJD's Assembly tally fell from 75 seats in 2020 to 25 in the November 2025 elections, its worst showing since 2010.
Dissent has grown from within, including from Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya and leader Bhai Virendra, while state spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari quit to join the BJP.
- Who
- Prashant Kishor, Jan Suraaj Party founder; RJD working president Tejashwi Prasad Yadav; Bihar RJD president Mangani Lal Mandal; and the BJP.
- What
- The RJD dissolved all its Bihar district, block and panchayat committees after Kishor won the Bankipur bypoll and internal dissent mounted.
- Where
- Bihar, India — centred on the Bankipur Assembly constituency.
- When
- Eight months after the November 2025 Bihar Assembly elections; the Bankipur bypoll and the committee dissolution are described as recent, with Mrityunjay Tiwari quitting a fortnight earlier.
- Why
- The RJD sought corrective measures after its tally fell from 75 to 25 seats, and leaders warn Kishor could emerge as a principal Opposition to the BJP-led NDA in the post-Nitish Kumar era.
RJD dissidents
RJD leadership
Committee dissolution
RJD dissidents
Senior RJD leaders say the dissolution calls for 'serious introspection' and the new committees should be reconstituted through a democratic process with committed grassroots workers.
RJD leadership
The leadership treats the move as a party's discretion and a necessary corrective shake-up after the Assembly tally fell from 75 to 25 seats and the Bankipur defeat.
Handling of the crisis
RJD dissidents
Critics, including Rohini Acharya and Bhai Virendra, blame 'arbitrary' functioning, the 'excessive influence' of select leaders and the 'dominance of sycophants' around Tejashwi Yadav.
RJD leadership
The leadership has responded organisationally by installing Mangani Lal Mandal to head the state unit and resetting all committees for a fresh start.
Key facts
- Bihar Assembly strength
- 243 members
- RJD seats 2020
- 75
- RJD seats 2025
- 25
- RJD seats 2010
- 22
- Bankipur bypoll winner
- Prashant Kishor (Jan Suraaj Party), margin over 19,000 votes
- RJD Bankipur candidate
- Rekha Kumari Gupta (third place, forfeited deposit)
- Bihar RJD president
- Mangani Lal Mandal
- Action taken
- All district, block and panchayat committees dissolved
Quotes
Unnamed senior RJD leader
Senior RJD leader critiquing the committee dissolution
“"Though it is the discretion of a political party to reshuffle or dissolve its units from time to time, the latest decision calls for serious introspection."”
indianexpress.com
“"It would be great if the party follows a democratic process to reconstitute the new committees with committed grassroots workers."”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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