Tejashwi Yadav appointed RJD’s National Working President; move signals leadership consolidation
Rashtriya Janata Dal named Tejashwi Yadav as National Working President on 25 January 2026, in the presence of party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. The appointment formalises Tejashwi’s elevated role in the party even as family-linked political tensions surface in public.
The appointment
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Sunday, 25 January 2026, appointed Tejashwi Yadav as the party’s National Working President. The announcement was made in the presence of party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, signalling a clear step in Tejashwi’s rise within the organisation and his operational control over strategy and party work.
The elevation comes as the RJD seeks to sharpen its political positioning in Bihar and beyond. In Indian parties with strong regional footprints, the “working president” role typically indicates day-to-day authority and succession planning, particularly where a senior leader remains the ideological anchor.
Family and internal signals
The development also played out against a backdrop of visible internal tension. Tejashwi’s sister, Rohini Acharya, publicly flagged what she described as a “conspiracy”, fuelling speculation about disagreements over party control and the direction of the organisation. No detailed evidence was made public in the immediate reporting.
For the RJD, the immediate political task is two-fold: projecting unity after the leadership move and translating organisational clarity into electoral momentum. The appointment is likely to shape candidate selection, alliance messaging and campaign planning ahead of upcoming state-level political contests.