Rabri Devihttp://ceobihar.nic.in/election/GeneralElection2014/PC20/S04-Bihar-20--May-2014%20(%20GEN%20)-3-RABRI%20DEVI.PDFhttps://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3285e19f20beded7d215102b49d5c09a0/uploads/2023/05/2023051796.pdf ( Devanagri: राबड़ी देवी, ) is an Indian politician who formerly served 3 terms as the

chief minister of Bihar The chief minister of Bihar serves as the head of the Government of Bihar, overseeing its administration and governance within the constitutional framework of India. While the Governor of Bihar holds the ceremonial role of the constitutional h ...

, the first and only woman till date to have held the office. She is a

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

(MLC) of Bihar Legislative Council and currently serving as the leader of the opposition in Bihar Legislative Council. She is married to Indian politician Lalu Prasad, former

chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

(1990–1997). Yadav previously served as a

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

Bihar Legislative Assembly The Bihar Legislative Assembly, also known as the Bihar Vidhan Sabha, is the lower house of the bicameral Bihar Legislature of the state of Bihar in India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is ...

(MLA) and she formerly served as the leader of the opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly.

Early life and education

Rabri was born in 1955 in Salar Kalan village, located near Mirganj in the Gopalganj district of

. However, she has stated in affidavits submitted for elections that her birth year is as early as 1953. Her parents are Sib Prasad Chaudhary 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 Rasgulla (literally "syrup filled ball") is a syrupy dessert popular in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of South Asia. It is made from ball-shaped dumplings of chhena dough, cooked in light sugar syrup. This is done until the syrup perm ...

and

Paan Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts (also called "betel nuts") are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects, the prima ...

. 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, unlike her brothers, who received proper education. As a result, none of her sisters is educated. Prabhunath Yadav, Subhash Prasad Yadav and Sadhu Yadav are her three real brothers.

Political career

Rabri Devi became the first female

Chief Minister of Bihar The chief minister of Bihar serves as the head of the Government of Bihar, overseeing its administration and governance within the constitutional framework of India. While the Governor of Bihar holds the ceremonial role of the constitutional h ...

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 the Fodder scam ('''Chaara Ghotala, as known locally). She went on to rule the state till 2005 (She was also the last chief minister of Undivided Bihar). Devi was elected thrice to Bihar Vidhan Sabha from Raghopur seat. In

2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election The Bihar legislative assembly election, 2010 was held in six phases over a period of one month starting from 21 October until 20 November in all 243 constituencies of Bihar, India. The election is conducted to elect the government in Bihar for ...

, Devi contested from two seats: Raghopur and Sonpur assembly seats, but lost both in an election where the

Rashtriya Janata Dal The Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD; translation: National People's Party) is an Indian political party, mainly based in the state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Lalu Prasad Yadav. The party's support base has traditionally been Other ...

faced defeat, winning only 22 seats. She contested from Saran in 2014 Lok Sabha election but lost to Rajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP. Rabri Devi was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council.

Criticism

Rabri Devi's appointment as the

is considered one of the most unexpected and awkward decisions in Indian political history, as she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics. She came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because of her

illiteracy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

and inexperience.

Personal life and family

Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad on 1 June 1973 at the age of 14 years, in a

child marriage Child marriage is a practice involving a marriage or domestic partnership, formal or informal, that includes an individual under 18 and an adult or other child.* * * * Research has found that child marriages have many long-term negative co ...

, and they went on to have seven daughters and then 2 sons. Her husband, Lalu also demanded ₹5000 as dowry from her father, which was fulfilled. * eldest daughter: Misa Bharti * 2nd daughter: Rohini Acharya Yadav * 3rd daughter: Chanda Yadav * 4th daughter: Ragini Yadav - married to Rahul Yadav,

Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...

leader * 5th daughter: Hema Yadav * 6th daughter: Anushka Yadav (Dhannu) - married to Chiranjeev Rao * youngest daughter: Raj Lakshmi Yadav - married to Tej Pratap Singh Yadav * elder son: Tej Pratap Yadav * younger son: Tejashwi Yadav Note: Rahul Yadav is son of Jitendra Yadav, former MLC from the

. Jitendra is the nephew of former MP D. P. Yadav.

Positions held

Rabri Devi has been elected 3 times as MLA and 4 times as MLC.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Rabri Living people Chief ministers of Bihar Rashtriya Janata Dal politicians Finance ministers of Bihar Women chief ministers of Indian states United Progressive Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election Leaders of the opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly Women members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly Yadav family (Bihar) 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians 21st-century Indian women politicians Members of the Bihar Legislative Council Bihar MLAs 2000–2005 1956 births Bihar MLAs 2005–2010 Leaders of the opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council