NEW DELHI: Lalu Prasad Yadav was not on the poll within the 2025 Bihar elections. His well being is fragile, his authorized battles proceed and beneath his son Tejashwi Yadav‘s management, their social gathering RJD delivered considered one of its worst performances and was main in simply 25 seats. Lalu was far-off from rallies and campaigns, but throughout Bihar’s political battleground, one reality stays unchanged: Lalu stays related even at present within the state politics.
The shadow of ‘jungle raj‘ Lalu’s tenure as chief minister within the Nineties continues to outline Bihar’s electoral narrative. For critics, particularly inside the NDA, that period stays shorthand for jungle raj — a interval related to lawlessness, gang violence and administrative collapse.All through 2025 election marketing campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar repeatedly invoked Lalu’s “misrule”, warning voters {that a} Mahagathbandhan authorities would drag Bihar again into these “darkish days.”However the shadow of jungle raj is not only rhetorical, it’s rooted in a interval between 1990 and 2005 that many nonetheless describe as Bihar’s darkest section. Kidnappings, extortion, and caste-based violence surged. Governance eroded, infrastructure crumbled, and the state’s economic system stagnated. The notorious fodder rip-off additional cemented Lalu’s fame for systemic corruption and misuse of energy.For a big part of voters, particularly the younger and aspirational, this legacy stays an indelible cautionary story.But for tens of millions among the many backward castes, Dalits and minorities, the identical period symbolises dignity and illustration. Lalu’s supporters preserve that he broke the dominance of the standard elite and spoke for the marginalised in a means no chief had earlier than.‘Jab tak samose mein aalu rahega … ‘Few political slogans have captured Bihar’s feelings like the long-lasting line: “Jab tak rahega samose mein aalu, tab tak rahega Bihar mein Lalu.” It compares the potato in a samosa, indispensable and acquainted, to Lalu’s unshakeable political relevance.Even in 2025, the slogan seems at rallies, on posters, memes, and WhatsApp forwards, underscoring that Lalu is not only a politician, he’s a cultural presence.Tejashwi advantages & suffers on the identical timeTejashwi Yadav discovered himself on the energy centre of an already well-established social gathering, courtesy his father Lalu Yadav. His political pitch leans closely on his father’s legacy of social justice and backward caste empowerment and the acquainted Muslim-Yadav vote financial institution. However Tejashwi additionally bears the burden of Lalu’s previous.Regardless of his makes an attempt to venture a governance-focused message, he struggled to shake off the detrimental connotations of jungle raj. Many citizens have been uncertain whether or not he represented a break from chaos or a continuation of outdated patterns. This ambiguity diluted his attraction, particularly amongst voters in search of stability and improvement.The NDA exploited this successfully, framing the Mahagathbandhan as a return to dysfunction and misgovernance. Their messaging resonated deeply with higher castes and governance targeted voters who worry a repeat of the Nineties.Inner friction inside the RJD additional sophisticated Tejashwi’s activity. His elder brother Tej Pratap’s separate political entrance risked splintering the Yadav vote, whereas factionalism inside allied events weakened the notion of a disciplined, ready-to-govern various.Rejected & revered, but at all times relatedWhat makes Lalu’s relevance extraordinary is that each alliances want him: RJD invokes him to consolidate backward caste and minority votes; NDA invokes him to warn voters towards the return of lawlessness.This election as soon as once more proved that Lalu stays the pivot of Bihar politics, even in bodily and political absence.The decision of Bihar elections 2025 – Lalu nonetheless defines Bihar’s political vocabulary.This election proves a paradox: Lalu Prasad Yadav didn’t contest, he didn’t marketing campaign, he barely appeared in public.And but, no election speech was full with out his title, no NDA rally averted invoking his legacy (even when in detrimental context) and no MGB technique may ignore his symbolism.Cherished by some, feared by others, however ignored by none, Lalu nonetheless stays central to Bihar’s political theatre.