Rabri Devi Asked To Vacate 10 Circular Road Patna Residence After 2 Decades

The Bihar Building Construction Department on Tuesday allotted House No. 39 on Harding Road in Patna to former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi for her use as Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council.

Until now, Rabri Devi had been living in her residence at 10 Circular Road, Patna, for the past two decades.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Shakti Singh Yadav on Tuesday expressed surprise over the Bihar government's decision, stating that the people holding the reins of the government are nominal. In contrast, those holding portfolios are considered experienced.

"Rabri Devi is the former Chief Minister of Bihar and is also the current Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council...It is a matter of surprise under which rule they have changed the residence...It seems the Bharatiya Janata Party's influence has increased, and those holding the reins of power are nominal while those holding portfolios are considered experienced. Still, this kind of decision is surprising," he said.

Rabri Devi served as the chief minister of Bihar from 1997 to 2005, making her the first woman to hold the post. Rabri Devi became chief minister following the resignation of her husband and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in 1997, when he was forced to step down as chief minister after an arrest warrant was issued against him in a fodder scam case.

Rabri Devi has been the leader of the opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council since 2018.

Meanwhile, in the recent Bihar assembly elections, the NDA registered a historic landslide victory, winning 202 of the 243 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan secured only 35 seats. The ruling alliance secured a three-fourths majority in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, marking the second time the NDA crossed the 200-seat mark in state polls. In 2010, it had won 206 seats.

In the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 89 seats, Janata Dal (United) won 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats.

Among opposition parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 25 seats, the Indian National Congress six, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) [CPI(ML)(L)] two, the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) one, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] one seat.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) secured five seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won one seat.

The Bihar assembly elections were held in two phases on November 6 and 11. Bihar recorded a historic 67.13 per cent voter turnout, the highest since 1951, with women voters outpacing men (71.6 per cent vs 62.8 per cent).

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