A photo of CM Nitish Kumar meeting Lalu Prasad Yadav in April 2023 is falsely claimed to show a meeting from October 2025
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially announced the schedule for the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. Voting will be conducted in two phases, with the first phase on 06 November 2025 and the second on 11 November 2025. The counting of votes is scheduled for 14 November 2025.
Amid this, a photo of JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is being shared on social media (here, here) with the claim that the photo is recent, from October 2025, and that the two leaders met just ahead of the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The photo shows CM Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav meeting in October 2025 ahead of the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections.
Fact: The photo dates back to April 2023, when CM Nitish Kumar visited Delhi and met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav to discuss the political situation and Opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Nitish visited Misa Bharti’s residence, enquired about Lalu Prasad’s health, and discussed the political scenario. At the time, Nitish was in alliance with the RJD as part of the Mahagathbandhan, but he switched back to the BJP-led NDA in January 2024 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. As of 17 October 2025, there are no reports of the two leaders meeting in October 2025. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A Google Lens search of the viral photo led us to multiple media reports (here, here, here, and here) from April 2023 featuring the same photo, confirming that the photo is not recent, from October 2025, but predates it by over two years. According to these reports, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrived in Delhi on 11 April 2023 and met RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav to discuss the current political situation and efforts to strengthen Opposition unity.
The meeting coincided with Nitish’s deputy and Lalu Prasad’s son, Tejashwi Yadav, appearing before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam. Nitish visited Misa Bharti’s residence, where Lalu Prasad was staying, enquired about his health, and discussed the political scenario. During his Delhi visit, he was also expected to meet several Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
It is important to note that the photo was taken in April 2023, a period when Nitish Kumar was in alliance with the RJD as part of the Mahagathbandhan. However, in January 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, he switched allegiance back to the BJP-led NDA and is contesting the 2025 Bihar elections with the NDA. The alliance has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement, with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-United (JD(U)) contesting 101 seats each in the 243-member assembly. The remaining 41 seats are allocated to smaller NDA allies, including the LJP(RV), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), and other regional partners. As of 17 October 2025, there are no reports of CM Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav meeting in October 2025 ahead of the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections.
To sum up, a photo of CM Nitish Kumar meeting Lalu Prasad Yadav in April 2023 is falsely claimed to show a meeting from October 2025.