Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Thursday, 3 July 2025, vacated the government bungalow at 10 Circular Road, Patna — an address that served as the political heartbeat of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for nearly two decades. Accompanied by RJD chief and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, she relocated to the family's private residence in Kautilya Nagar, closing a chapter deeply intertwined with Bihar's opposition politics.

Nearly Two Decades at 10 Circular Road

Rabri Devi had occupied the government bungalow since 2 February 2006, when it was allotted to her in her capacity as Leader of the Opposition — first in the Bihar Legislative Assembly and subsequently in the Bihar Legislative Council. Over the following years, the address transformed from a residential allocation into the de facto command centre of the Lalu family's political operations.

The bungalow hosted numerous coordination meetings of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and was the venue where several pivotal electoral and legislative strategies were reportedly shaped. In effect, 10 Circular Road became synonymous with RJD's identity in Bihar.

Inventory Dispute Before Handover

The departure was not without friction. Before formally surrendering possession, Rabri Devi wrote to the Building Construction Department seeking the original charge register and inventory list prepared at the time of allotment in 2006. She maintained that the inventory must be verified before handover to pre-empt future disputes over government property.

According to sources, the department had not furnished the original documents by the time she vacated. Despite the pending documentation issue, she proceeded with the handover on Thursday, with the family having gradually shifted belongings over several days using trucks.

Government Pressure and Final Notice

The Bihar government had directed Rabri Devi to vacate the bungalow within one month. After that deadline passed, authorities issued a 15-day extension followed by a seven-day final notice — a sequence that underscored the administration's resolve to reclaim the property. The bungalow has since been allotted to Nand Kishore Ram, the state's Minister for Animal and Fisheries Resources.

Where the Family Moves Next

As the current Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council, Rabri Devi has been allotted an official residence at 39 Harding Road. However, the family has for now chosen to move to its private home in Kautilya Nagar. Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, has already shifted to his official residence at 1 Polo Road. The family's political and personal activities will henceforth operate from separate addresses — a logistical and symbolic dispersal of the consolidated presence that 10 Circular Road once represented.

The vacating of 10 Circular Road marks more than a change of address; it signals the end of a political era in which a single bungalow anchored the opposition's identity in Bihar for nearly a generation.