Overview

• On June 24, RJD election officer Ram Chandra Purve confirmed Lalu Prasad Yadav’s unopposed re-election as national president for his 13th consecutive term
• The party will formally present his election certificate and celebrate “Lalu Samman Diwas” at a National Council meeting on July 5 in Patna
• Tejashwi Yadav remains the RJD’s lead campaigner and is widely viewed as the frontrunner for the chief minister’s post
• Opposition from the BJP and JD(U) has denounced the return as evidence of dynastic politics and a lack of internal democracy
• The RJD has reinforced its organizational structure by naming Mangani Lal Mandal as Bihar state president ahead of the assembly elections