Rabri Devihttp://ceobihar.nic.in/election/GeneralElection2014/PC20/S04-Bihar-20--May-2014%20(%20GEN%20)-3-RABRI%20DEVI.PDF https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3285e19f20beded7d215102b49d5c09a0/uploads/2023/05/2023051796.pdf (

Devanagri Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ancient '' Brāhmī'' script. It is one of the official scripts of India and ...

: 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 Bihar Legislative assembly also known as Bihar Vidhan Parishad is the upper house of the bicameral Bihar Legislature of the state of Bihar in India. History A new Province of Bihar and Odisha was created by the Government of India on 12 Decem ...

and currently serving as the leader of the opposition in Bihar Legislative Council. She is married to Indian politician

Lalu Prasad Lalu Prasad (born 11 June 1948) is an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Bihar from 1990 to 1997 with a brief interruption in 1995 and as the union minister for Railways from 2004 to 2009. He is the founder and president of ...

, 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 This is a list of Indian sweets and desserts, also called ''Sweets from the Indian subcontinent, mithai'', a significant element in Indian cuisine. Indians are known for their unique taste and experimental behavior when it comes to food. Many In ...

as per a custom in her family. Her 3 sisters are similarly named

Jalebi ''Jalebi'' is a popular sweet snack in the Indian subcontinent, West Asia and some parts of Africa. It goes by many names, including ''jilapi'', ''zelepi'','' jilebi'', '' jilipi'', ''zulbia'', ''zoolbia'', ''jerry'', ''mushabak'', ''z'labia'' ...

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 and as a result, none of her sisters got any formal education. Prabhunath Yadav,

Subhash Prasad Yadav Subhash Prasad Yadav (born 27 March 1967) is an Indian politician belonging to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) from Gopalganj in Bihar. He was a Member of Parliament representing Bihar in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house from 2004 to 2010. Subh ...

and

Sadhu Yadav Anirudh Prasad Yadav, better known as Sadhu Yadav (born 5 July 1967), is an Indian politician and founder of Garib Janta Dal (Secular). He has served in 14th Lok Sabha as MP of Gopalganj from 2004 to 2009 as Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candi ...

are her three 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 General elections were held in India in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014 to elect the members of the 16th Lok Sabha. With 834 million registered voters, they were the largest-ever elections in the world until being surpassed by the 2019 ...

but lost to

Rajiv Pratap Rudy Rajiv Pratap Rudy (born 30 March 1962) is an Indian politician from Bihar. He is a four-time Member of Parliament representing Bharatiya Janata Party. In 2023, he won from Saran (Lok Sabha constituency) in Bihar. Earlier, he won three times in ...

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

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 ...

. Together, they have seven daughters and two sons. During her wedding, Lalu went on to demand an additional ₹5,000 as dowry from her father, which was eventually fulfilled.

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