Rabri Devi

Rabri Devi (Devanagri: राबड़ी देवी, 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.

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. As a result, none of her sisters got any formal education. Prabhunath Yadav, Subhash Prasad Yadav and Sadhu Yadav are her three brothers.

Political career Devi became the first female Chief Minister of Bihar on 25 July 1997, after her husband, incumbent chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, was forced to resign following the arrest warrant issued against him in corruption charges relating to the Fodder scam. Her appointment as the chief minister of Bihar is considered one of the most unexpected decisions

She went on to rule the state until 2005. She was also the last chief minister of undivided Bihar.

Devi was elected thrice to the Bihar Vidhan Sabha from the Raghopur seat. In the 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, Devi contested from two seats: Raghopur and Sonpur, 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.

Devi was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council in 2024 elections.

Personal life and family Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad on 1 June 1973 at the age of 14 years, During her wedding, Lalu was given ₹20,000 cash, five bighas of land and two jersey cows as dowry but he went on to demand an additional ₹5,000 from her father, which was eventually fulfilled.

Positions held Rabri Devi has been elected 3 times as MLA and 4 times as MLC. From To Position Party 1. 1997 2000 MLC (1st term) in Bihar Legislative Council Chief Minister (1st & 2nd term) in Government of Bihar RJD 2. 2000 2005 MLA (1st term) from Raghopur (by-poll) Chief Minister (3rd term) in Government of Bihar RJD 3. Feb 2005 Oct 2005 MLA (2nd term) from Raghopur RJD 4. 2005 2010 MLA (3rd term) from Raghopur Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly (1st term) RJD 5. 2012 2018 MLC (2nd term) in Bihar Legislative Council RJD 6. 2018 2024 MLC (3rd term) in Bihar Legislative Council Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council (1st & 2nd term) RJD 7. 2024 Present MLC (4th term) in Bihar Legislative Council Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council (3rd term) RJD