Rabri Devi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Rabri in 2005 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council | |
| Assumed office 14 February 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Hari Sahni |
| In office 13 April 2022 – 9 August 2022 | |
| Preceded by | herself |
| Succeeded by | Samrat Chaudhary |
| In office 12 May 2018 – 23 June 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Sushil Modi |
| Succeeded by | herself |
| 21stChief Minister of Bihar | |
| In office 11 March 2000 – 6 March 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Nitish Kumar |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| In office 9 March 1999 – 2 March 2000 | |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Nitish Kumar |
| In office 25 July 1997 – 11 February 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| Member of Bihar Legislative Council | |
| Assumed office 7 May 2012 | |
| Constituency | elected by Legislative assembly members |
| In office 11 December 1997 – 2 June 2000 | |
| Constituency | elected by Legislative assembly members |
| 18thLeader of the Opposition Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 20 November 2005 – 23 December 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Upendra Kushwaha |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Bari Siddiqui |
| Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2 June 2000 – 26 November 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Lalu Prasad |
| Succeeded by | Satish Kumar Yadav |
| Constituency | Raghopur |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-01-01)January 1, 1955 (age 70) Salar Kalan,Bihar, India |
| Political party | Rashtriya Janata Dal |
| Other political affiliations | Janata Dal |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Tej Pratap Singh Yadav (son-in-law) Chiranjeev Rao (son-in-law) Sadhu Yadav (brother) Subhash Prasad Yadav (brother) |
| Children | 9 (includingTejashwi,Tej Pratap andMisa Bharti) |
| Residence(s) | Hawai Adda,Patna, Bihar, India |
Rabri Devi[1][2] (Devanagri: राबड़ी देवी,[1][2]IAST:rābar̤ī devīSanskrit pronunciation:[ɾɑːbəɽiːd̪eːʋiː]) is an Indian politician who formerly served 3 terms as thechief minister of Bihar, the first and only woman till date to have held the office. She is aMember (MLC) ofBihar Legislative Council and currently serving as theleader of the opposition in Bihar Legislative Council.
She is married to Indian politicianLalu Prasad, formerchief minister ofBihar (1990–1997). Yadav previously served as amember ofBihar Legislative Assembly (MLA) and she formerly served as theleader of the opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Rabri was born in 1955[3] in Salar Kalan village, located nearMirganj in theGopalganj district ofBihar. However, she has stated in affidavits submitted for elections that her birth year is as early as 1953.[1][2] Her parents are Sib Prasad Chaudhary[4] and Maharjia Devi. She is named after anIndian sweet as per a custom in her family. Her 3 sisters are similarly namedJalebi,Rasgulla andPaan.[5]
She has studied only up to the fifth standard at a local school in her village. Her parents were hesitant to send their daughters to schools located far away and as a result, none of her sisters got any formal education.[6] Prabhunath Yadav,Subhash Prasad Yadav andSadhu Yadav are her three brothers.
Rabri Devi became the first femaleChief Minister of Bihar on 25 July 1997, after her husband, Lalu Prasad, was forced to resign following the arrest warrant issued against him in corruption charges relating to theFodder scam. She went on to rule the state till 2005. She was also the last chief minister of undivided Bihar.[7][8]
Devi was elected thrice to Bihar Vidhan Sabha fromRaghopur seat. In2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, Devi contested from two seats:Raghopur andSonpur assembly seats, but lost both in an election where theRashtriya Janata Dal faced defeat, winning only 22 seats.[9][10]
She contested fromSaran in2014 Lok Sabha election but lost toRajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP.[11]
Rabri Devi was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council.[12]
Rabri Devi's appointment as thechief minister of Bihar is considered one of the most unexpected and awkward decisions[8] in Indian political history, as she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics.[7] She came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because of herilliteracy[6][13] and inexperience.[14]
Rabri Devi marriedLalu Prasad on 1 June 1973 at the age of 14 years,[4][6] in achild marriage. Together, they have seven daughters and two sons.[15][4][16][17] During her wedding,Lalu went on to demand an additional ₹5,000 as dowry from her father, which was eventually fulfilled.[6]
Rabri Devi has been elected 3 times asMLA and 4 times asMLC.
| # | From | To | Position | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1997 | 2000 |
| RJD |
| 2. | 2000 | 2005 |
| RJD |
| 3. | Feb 2005 | Oct 2005 | RJD | |
| 4. | 2005 | 2010 |
| RJD |
| 5. | 2012 | 2018 |
| RJD |
| 6. | 2018 | 2024 |
| RJD |
| 7. | 2024 | Present |
| RJD |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Bihar 1997—1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Bihar 1999—2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Bihar 2000—2005 | Succeeded by |
