Rabri Devi

Rabri Devi, who is the first of five siblings and comes from a political family in a very remote place in Vaishali, Bihar, is a senior Indian politician and a prominent leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). She has been remembered and referred to as Bihar’s first woman Chief Minister, a post that she held for more than ten years. In the late 1990s, Rabri Devi came into politics and, as a result, she became well-known in the public sphere after her husband, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was convicted in several criminal cases, which made it impossible for him to hold any office.

The times when she was the Chief Minister (1997–2005) were tough, and she had to face much opposition. Although she was overshadowed in her administration by different oppositions’ close supervision, she became a role model of women’s leadership in Bihar, as she used to deal with the interconnection of castes and the political situation in the state very skillfully. The ups and downs of Rabri Devi’s political career have been largely interlinked with the RJD and her family's fortunes.

Over the last few years, Rabri Devi has been a steadfast figure in Bihar politics, a major supporter of the RJD, and has always been in attendance, be it a conference, seminar, or talk on women’s welfare, farmers’ rights, and the road to social justice.

She has been making a lot of noise against the Nitish Kumar government in 2025, pointing to the policies and law-and-order difficulties, as she has consistently been asking for an increase in welfare measures in the state budget.

Rabri Devi has not only been active in politics, but she has also been very present in the public discourse through her participation in mass rallies, protests, and legislative debates. Her recent comments and actions have made it clear that she will be one of the main opposition leaders who are well-prepared for the coming elections in Bihar and who will be there to challenge the government.