A day before the national executive meeting of the party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Bhai Virendra on Saturday (January 24, 2026) sparked a row by questioning the party leadership over ticket distribution in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly election.
In a speech, a video of which has gone viral on social media, Mr. Virendra said “such results” were inevitable if tickets were distributed to “outsiders” based on “other criteria”, while ignoring “deserving and hard-working” party workers.
The number of seats the RJD won fell from 75 in 2020 Assembly election to 25 in the 2025 Assembly election.
Addressing a meeting, Mr. Virendra asked why Vijay Mandal, the sitting MLA, had been denied a ticket from the Dinara Assembly constituency.
“If ticket was given to only to Yadav [community], what was wrong with Vijay Mandal-ji. We both became MLAs together. What was Vijay Mandal-ji’s fault? He should not have been denied the ticket. Ticket was given to an outsider on the advice of others,” Mr. Virendra said.
The RJD fielded Rajesh Yadav, the party’s youth president, and known to be a dedicated party worker, from Dinara.
The party fielded 143 candidates, the highest in the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, but notched up its worst performance in recent elections, with the exception of the 2010 Assembly election, when it had won 22 seats. In the past decade, the RJD had emerged as Bihar’s single largest party, winning 75 seats in 2020, and 80 seats in the 2015 Assembly election.
While he did not name anyone, Mr. Virendra was scathing in his criticism. “There are some leaders in the party who claim to be socialist leaders but that’s only for name’s sake. They claim to run three districts, and they are the leaders who claim to cultivate Kaimur and Rohtas (districts), and now Buxar (nagar parishad). If such people will remain in the party, and tickets will be distributed on their advice, then we are bound to face such results,” he said.
Mr. Virendra was indirectly criticising Sudhakar Singh, son of former RJD State president Jagdanand Singh, who hails from Kaimur district, and is currently the MP from the Buxar Lok Sabha seat.
Prior to the 2025 Assembly election in November, Mr. Sudhakar’s advice was considered crucial in the selection of candidates in the Shahabad region, a stronghold of Mr. Jagdanand’s family.
Mr. Sudhakhar’s younger brother, Ajit Kumar, was nominated to contest from the Ramgarh Assembly seat in the 2025 Assembly election, but he lost. The Ramgarh seat in Kaimur district adjoining Rohtas was represented by Mr. Sudhakar before he became an MP in 2024.
Sources in the party said that although advice was invited from many leaders, the final decision on the distribution of tickets was taken by Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav. He is known to be taking all the decisions in the RJD, will likely be named the party’s new national president on Sunday (January 25, 2026).
Mr. Virendra told journalists that he stood by every word he had said on the issue.
“One person was responsible for three districts and all three districts were sold. Who sold the tickets in these three districts is a matter for investigation. In Buxar district, we only won one seat. Who should be held responsible? Whatever I say, I say the truth and I stick to my words,” Mr. Virendra told media persons at the party office.
Mr. Tejashwi Yadav was also present at the party office to celebrate the birth anniversary of the late Karpoori Thakur, former Chief Minister of Bihar, who hailed from an Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) community and championed the cause of marginalised backward communities.
Earlier, Rohini Acharya, elder sister of Mr. Tejashwi Yadav, had questioned the party’s debacle in the Assembly election.
Published – January 24, 2026 09:28 pm IST
