Rashtriya Janata Dal
RJD- Also seen as
- rashtriya janata dal
- Split from
- JD(1997)
About RJD
Founded in July 1997 by Lalu Prasad Yadav after splitting from the Janata Dal amid a fodder-scam corruption case that forced his resignation as Chief Minister. He installed his wife Rabri Devi as CM in his place; she served three terms, 1997–2005, becoming Bihar's first woman CM. RJD lost power in 2005 to a JDU–BJP alliance under Nitish Kumar. It returned to government twice in coalition with JDU — 2015–2017 and again August 2022 – January 2024 — with Lalu's son Tejashwi Yadav as Deputy CM both times.
- Key leaders
- Lalu Prasad Yadav — founder; Chief Minister of Bihar, 1990–1997 (as Janata Dal, before RJD's founding)
- Rabri Devi — Chief Minister of Bihar across three terms, 1997–2005; first woman CM of Bihar
- Tejashwi Yadav — Deputy Chief Minister, 2015–2017 and August 2022 – January 2024
Source: Rashtriya Janata Dal — Britannica. Real-world political history, hand-researched and cited — not a figure computed from results.
Election record
Every election where RJD polled votes. Seats and shares are computed from the constituency results — tap an election to open it.
| KL Assembly | 2026 | 1 | 1,78,051 | 0.8% | 3 | #9 |
| TN Assembly | 2026 | 0 | 402 | 0.0% | 1 | #69 |
| BR Assembly | 2025 | 25 | 1,15,46,055 | 23.0% | 143 | #3 |
| Lok Sabha | 2024 | 4 | 1,01,14,019 | 1.6% | 27 | #15 |
| JH Assembly | 2024 | 4 | 6,13,880 | 3.4% | 7 | #4 |
| NL Assembly | 2023 | 0 | 5,706 | 0.5% | 3 | #11 |
| GJ Assembly | 2022 | 0 | 516 | 0.0% | 1 | #49 |
| AS Assembly | 2021 | 0 | 13,321 | 0.1% | 1 | #20 |
| KL Assembly | 2021 | 0 | 511 | 0.0% | 2 | #36 |
| TN Assembly | 2021 | 0 | 478 | 0.0% | 2 | #67 |
| BR Assembly | 2020 | 75 | 97,36,242 | 23.1% | 144 | #1 |
| DL Assembly | 2020 | 0 | 3,463 | 0.0% | 4 | #11 |
| AP Assembly | 2019 | 0 | 54 | 0.0% | 1 | #66 |
| Lok Sabha | 2019 | 0 | 66,32,247 | 1.1% | 21 | #38 |
| JH Assembly | 2019 | 1 | 4,13,167 | 2.7% | 7 | #7 |
| TG Assembly | 2018 | 0 | 89 | 0.0% | 1 | #89 |
| TN Assembly | 2016 | 0 | 90 | 0.0% | 1 | #86 |
| WB Assembly | 2016 | 0 | 15,639 | 0.0% | 1 | #31 |
| BR Assembly | 2015 | 80 | 69,95,509 | 18.4% | 101 | #1 |
| DL Assembly | 2015 | 0 | 236 | 0.0% | 1 | #45 |
| AP Assembly | 2014 | 0 | 722 | 0.0% | 2 | #51 |
| Lok Sabha | 2014 | 4 | 74,40,937 | 1.3% | 29 | #15 |
| JH Assembly | 2014 | 0 | 4,33,429 | 3.1% | 19 | #13 |
| TG Assembly | 2014 | 0 | 429 | 0.0% | 3 | #54 |
| NL Assembly | 2013 | 0 | 5,446 | 0.5% | 2 | #7 |
| PB Assembly | 2012 | 0 | 624 | 0.0% | 1 | #29 |
| UP Assembly | 2012 | 0 | 31,847 | 0.0% | 4 | #36 |
| TN Assembly | 2011 | 0 | 4,546 | 0.0% | 6 | #30 |
| WB Assembly | 2011 | 0 | 21,711 | 0.0% | 1 | #25 |
| BR Assembly | 2010 | 22 | 54,75,656 | 18.8% | 168 | #3 |
| AP Assembly | 2009 | 0 | 28,776 | 0.1% | 26 | #16 |
| HR Assembly | 2009 | 0 | 4,764 | 0.1% | 3 | #17 |
| Lok Sabha | 2009 | 4 | 52,80,084 | 1.3% | 44 | #17 |
| JH Assembly | 2009 | 5 | 5,17,324 | 5.0% | 56 | #6 |
| MH Assembly | 2009 | 0 | 1,730 | 0.0% | 2 | #51 |
| CG Assembly | 2008 | 0 | 3,008 | 0.0% | 2 | #26 |
| DL Assembly | 2008 | 0 | 39,713 | 0.6% | 11 | #7 |
| JK Assembly | 2008 | 0 | 5,151 | 0.1% | 14 | #20 |
| MP Assembly | 2008 | 0 | 2,661 | 0.0% | 4 | #33 |
| NL Assembly | 2008 | 0 | 74,298 | 6.6% | 25 | #6 |
| GJ Assembly | 2007 | 0 | 5,376 | 0.0% | 2 | #22 |
| MN Assembly | 2007 | 3 | 98,694 | 6.7% | 28 | #6 |
| PB Assembly | 2007 | 0 | 2,845 | 0.0% | 2 | #19 |
| UP Assembly | 2007 | 0 | 1,38,032 | 0.3% | 66 | #19 |
| UK Assembly | 2007 | 0 | 3,710 | 0.1% | 7 | #19 |
| AS Assembly | 2006 | 0 | 7,476 | 0.1% | 7 | #18 |
| KL Assembly | 2006 | 0 | 268 | 0.0% | 1 | #27 |
| WB Assembly | 2006 | 1 | 31,080 | 0.1% | 2 | #12 |
| HR Assembly | 2005 | 0 | 2,624 | 0.0% | 4 | #16 |
| JH Assembly | 2005 | 7 | 8,59,169 | 8.5% | 51 | #4 |
| AP Assembly | 2004 | 0 | 2,725 | 0.0% | 8 | #28 |
| Lok Sabha | 2004 | 24 | 97,50,095 | 2.5% | 43 | #5 |
| OD Assembly | 2004 | 0 | 2,942 | 0.0% | 4 | #23 |
| DL Assembly | 2003 | 0 | 5,559 | 0.1% | 7 | #12 |
| MP Assembly | 2003 | 0 | 1,935 | 0.0% | 3 | #32 |
| RJ Assembly | 2003 | 0 | 3,792 | 0.0% | 4 | #24 |
| JK Assembly | 2002 | 0 | 2,791 | 0.1% | 12 | #17 |
| PB Assembly | 2002 | 0 | 318 | 0.0% | 2 | #32 |
| UP Assembly | 2002 | 0 | 22,020 | 0.0% | 25 | #31 |
| UK Assembly | 2002 | 0 | 601 | 0.0% | 4 | #27 |
| AS Assembly | 2001 | 0 | 2,378 | 0.0% | 6 | #22 |
| KL Assembly | 2001 | 0 | 521 | 0.0% | 1 | #24 |
| PY Assembly | 2001 | 0 | 169 | 0.0% | 1 | #16 |
| TN Assembly | 2001 | 0 | 1,138 | 0.0% | 3 | #39 |
| WB Assembly | 2001 | 0 | 25,582 | 0.1% | 2 | #19 |
| BR Assembly | 2000 | 124 | 1,05,00,361 | 28.3% | 293 | #1 |
| HR Assembly | 2000 | 0 | 205 | 0.0% | 1 | #27 |
| MN Assembly | 2000 | 1 | 23,037 | 1.8% | 15 | #9 |
| OD Assembly | 2000 | 0 | 2,078 | 0.0% | 4 | #20 |
| AP Assembly | 1999 | 0 | 2,006 | 0.0% | 7 | #23 |
| Lok Sabha | 1999 | 7 | 1,01,50,492 | 2.8% | 61 | #14 |
| KA Assembly | 1999 | 0 | 451 | 0.0% | 3 | #20 |
| MH Assembly | 1999 | 0 | 7,439 | 0.0% | 11 | #23 |
| DL Assembly | 1998 | 0 | 14,828 | 0.4% | 13 | #11 |
| GJ Assembly | 1998 | 0 | 1,884 | 0.0% | 4 | #13 |
| Lok Sabha | 1998 | 17 | 1,02,29,971 | 2.8% | 116 | #6 |
| MP Assembly | 1998 | 0 | 2,130 | 0.0% | 10 | #27 |
| ML Assembly | 1998 | 0 | 1,253 | 0.1% | 8 | #10 |
| MZ Assembly | 1998 | 0 | 588 | 0.2% | 8 | #11 |
| RJ Assembly | 1998 | 1 | 52,866 | 0.3% | 18 | #7 |
| TR Assembly | 1998 | 0 | 503 | 0.0% | 6 | #11 |
Peak: 124 seats at the Bihar Assembly Election, 2000 — the largest party that year.