A two-time chief minister of Bihar, five-time MP and former Union Minister with the distinction of reviving the Indian Railways, Lalu Yadav's journey in Indian politics has been extraordinary. It has also been controversial in equal measure, with a conviction in the infamous fodder scam and allegations of 'gundaraj' (rule of goons) and corruption.
Lalu Yadav was born on June 11, 1948, in Phulwaria, near Bihar's Gopalganj, to a farming family. He has an MA in Political Science and a law degree from Patna University. Lalu Yadav married Rabri Devi in 1973. They have nine children: two sons and seven daughters.
In 1970, he was elected President of the Patna University Students' Union and later became active in Jayaprakash Narayan's movement. During the Emergency, he was arrested and remained in jail until 1977.
After his release, Lalu Yadav was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha in 1977 at age 29. In 1980, he was elected to the Bihar assembly. He was reelected in 1985 and served as leader of the opposition in 1989. By then, he had joined the Janata Dal, and also won a second Lok Sabha term in 1989.
Lalu Yadav backed the Mandal Commission's call for reservations for backward castes and took a firm stand against communal politics. This won him support from both backward castes, especially Yadavs, and Muslims, who became his core base.
Chief Ministership
In 1990, Yadav returned to state politics, becoming chief minister. He was reelected for a second term in 1995.
In 1996, Lalu Yadav and other politicians and bureaucrats were linked to the fodder scam, involving a Rs 950-crore embezzlement of state funds. The allegations forced him to resign as chief minister in July 1997. Rabri Devi, his wife, succeeded him.
The same year, he left the Janata Dal and founded the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). From 2000 to 2005, the RJD, in coalition with Congress, continued to hold on to power in Bihar with Rabri Devi as CM.
In 2004, Lalu Yadav became Union Minister for Railways in the Congress-led UPA government. Over his five-year tenure, he oversaw a turnaround of Indian Railways, steering it from heavy losses to posting surpluses. His revenue model became a case study in business schools, including Harvard and IIM Ahmedabad.
Poor Show, And Revival
After a strong show in the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections (26 seats), it all came a cropper a year later in the Assembly polls. The RJD won only 54 of the 243 seats, losing power for the first time in 15 years.
The poor show persisted in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, with the RJD winning only four of the 40 seats. During the 2010 Assembly elections, the RJD posted its worst tally with just 22 seats.
The 2015 Assembly Elections marked a revival, of not just the RJD but also relations with Nitish Kumar. The former friends-turned-foes turned friends again, with the Congress joining as the third party of the Mahagathbandhan and winning the elections. In 2017, however, Kumar pulled out of the alliance and joined hands with the BJP, once again relegating the RJD to the role of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly.
The RJD emerged as the single largest party in 2020, but the JD(U), with just 43 seats, retained power. Nitish Kumar, with support from the BJP, was sworn in as Bihar chief minister again.
Yadav, who is still the head of the RJD, has taken a back seat and let his son, Tejashwi Yadav, play the starring role in this year's elections. Tejashwi has also been declared the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan.
