Rabri Devi Yadav (born 1 January 1955) is an Indian politician who formerly served 3 terms as the Chief Minister of Bihar, the first and only woman till date to have held the office. She is a Member (MLC) of Bihar Legislative Council and she currently serving as the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Parishad.
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Rabri Devi Yadav
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| Leader of Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Parishad | |
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Incumbent
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| Assumed office 14 Feb 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Hari Sahni |
| In office 13 Apr 2022 – 09 Aug 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Herself |
| Succeeded by | Samrat Chaudhary |
| In office 12 May 2018 – 23 Jun 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Sushil Modi |
| Succeeded by | Herself |
| Leader of Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Sabha | |
| In office 20 Nov 2005 – 23 Dec 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Upendra Kushwaha |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Bari Siddiqui |
| 21st Chief Minister of Bihar | |
| In office 11 Mar 2000 – 06 Mar 2005 |
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| Governor | • V. C. Pande • M R Jois • Ved Prakash Marwah (acting) • Buta Singh • Gopalkrishna Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Nitish Kumar |
| Succeeded by | President’s rule |
| In office 09 Mar 1999 – 02 Mar 2000 |
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| Governor | Sunder Singh Bhandari |
| Preceded by | President’s rule |
| Succeeded by | Nitish Kumar |
| In office 25 Jul 1997 – 11 Feb 1999 |
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| Governor | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai |
| Preceded by | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| Succeeded by | President’s rule |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1955 Salar Kalan village, Gopalganj, Bihar, India |
| Political party | Rashtriya Janata Dal |
| Spouse |
Lalu Prasad Yadav
(m. 1973) |
| Relations | Tej Pratap Singh Yadav (son-in-law) Chiranjeev Rao (son-in-law) Sadhu Yadav (brother) Subhash Prasad Yadav (brother) |
| Children | 9 (including Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and Misa Bharti) |
| Parents |
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| Residence | Patna |
| Website | rjd |
Rabri is married to Indian politician Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Chief Minister of Bihar (1990-1997).She previously served as a Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly (MLA) and she formerly served as the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Sabha.
Early life
Rabri Devi was born on 1 January 1955 in Salar Kalan village near Mirganj of Gopalganj district, Bihar. Her parents are Shiv Prasad Chaudhary and Maharjia Devi. She is named after an Indian sweet as per a custom in her family. Her 3 sisters are similarly named Jalebi, Rasgulla and Paan.
Prabhunath Yadav, Subhash Prasad Yadav and Sadhu Yadav are her three real brothers.
Political career
Rabri Devi became the first female Chief Minister of Bihar on 25 July 1997, after her husband, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was forced to resign following the arrest warrant issued against him in corruption charges relating to the Fodder scam (‘Chaara Ghotala’ , as known locally) She went on to rule the state till 2005.
Devi was elected thrice to Bihar Vidhan Sabha from Raghopur seat. In 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, Rabri Devi contested from two seats: Raghopur and Sonpur assembly seats, but lost both in an election where the Rashtriya Janata Dal faced defeat, winning only 22 seats.
She contested from Saran in 2014 Lok Sabha election but lost to Rajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP.
Criticism
Devi’s appointment as the Chief Minister of Bihar is considered one of the most unexpected and awkward decisions in Indian political history, as she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics. She came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because of her illiteracy and inexperience.
Personal life and family
Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad Yadav on 1 June 1973 at the age of 17 years, in an arranged marriage, and they went on to have 2 sons and 7 daughters.
- elder son: Tej Pratap Yadav
- younger son: Tejashwi Yadav
- eldest daughter: Misa Bharti
- 2nd daughter: Rohini Acharya Yadav
- 3rd daughter: Chanda Yadav
- 4th daughter: Ragini Yadav – married to Rahul Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader
- 5th daughter: Hema Yadav
- 6th daughter: Anushka Yadav (Dhannu) – married to Chiranjeev Rao
- youngest daughter: Raj Lakshmi Yadav – married to Tej Pratap Singh Yadav
Note: Rahul Yadav is son of Jitendra Yadav, former MLC from the Samajwadi Party. Jitendra is the nephew of former MP D. P. Yadav.
Positions held
Rabri Devi Yadav has been elected 3 times as MLA.
| # | From | To | Position | Party |
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| 1. | 2000 | 2005 | * MLA (1st term) from Raghopur (by-poll) * Chief Minister (3rd term) in Government of Bihar |
RJD |
| 2. | Feb 2005 | Oct 2005 | MLA (2nd term) from Raghopur | RJD |
| 3. | 2005 | 2010 | * MLA (3rd term) from Raghopur * Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly |
RJD |
| 4. | 2012 | 2018 | MLC (2nd term) in Bihar Legislative Council | RJD |
| 5. | 2018 | Present | MLC (3rd term) in Bihar Legislative Council | RJD |