Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya quits politics, “disowns” family after RJD’s defeat in Bihar

Rohini Acharya. PIC/X

Former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya on Saturday said she has decided to "quit" politics and is "disowning" her family, a day after the party suffered a massive defeat in the assembly polls, securing only 25 seats in the 243-member state assembly, news agency ANI reported.

Taking all the blame for the outcome, Acharya targeted RJD Member of Parliament (MP) and her brother Tejashwi's close aide Sanjay Yadav.

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"I'm quitting politics and I'm disowning my family… This is what Sanjay Yadav and Rameez had asked me to do and I'm taking all the blame," Rohini Acharya said in her post on X.

Acharya's elder brother Tej Pratap had earlier this year been expelled from both the party and the family following a controversy related to his personal life. His expulsion came after a Facebook post in which he claimed to be in a relationship, triggering a public fallout with the family. The issue also revived discussions around his past marital troubles, including his ongoing divorce case with Aishwarya Rai, granddaughter of former Bihar Chief Minister Daroga Rai.

After his expulsion, Tej Pratap launched his own party, the Janshakti Janta Dal (JJD), and contested from the Mahua Assembly constituency. He faced a major setback, finishing a distant third, as Sanjay Kumar Singh of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) won with 87,641 votes and a margin of 44,997 votes, while RJD candidate Mukesh Kumar Raushan came second.

Rohini's announcement distancing herself from the family came a day after the RJD suffered a major setback in the Bihar Assembly elections, finishing as the third-largest party with just 25 seats, despite contesting more than 140 seats.

The National Democratic Alliance's (NDA's) ‘tsunami' swept aside the opposition Mahagathbandhan, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, followed by the Janata Dal (United) with 85. Other NDA allies also posted high strike rates. The ruling NDA secured 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House - its second time crossing the 200-mark after winning 206 seats in the 2010 elections.

Within the NDA, the BJP won 89 seats, JD(U) 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) 5, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha 4.

In the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD won 25 seats, Left Parties 3, and Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) 1.

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won 5 seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 1.

Jan Suraaj, led by Prashant Kishor, which had hoped for an impressive debut after a long, statewide outreach campaign, failed to win any seat.

(With ANI inputs)