Rajesh Ranjan पप्पू यादव (born 1961/1962 (age 49–50)), better known as Pappu Yadav, is an Indian politician. He won elections to the Lok Sabha in 1991, 1996, 1999, and in 2004 from several constituencies in Bihar on the RJD ticket. On 2008-02-14, he was convicted in the murder of Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator Ajit Sarkar and sentenced to life. Subsequently he was debarred from the 2009 general election.

Pappu Yadav has more than 15 criminal cases pending against him, but has been convicted only in the Ajit Sarkar murder case.

Pappu Yadav comes from a farmer family in Madhepura and started off as a farmer. He was born in Khurda, Karveli in Madhepura district. From his college life he started his career as a student.

Initially a small-time criminal, he moved up the crime ladder along with his role in politics. By the late 90s, he was a well-established mafia don, muscling his way around Bihar and across India.

He was elected to the Bihar legislative assembly from Singheshwar,Madhepura in 1990 as an independent candidate, but in 1991 he contested and won through to the 11th Lok Sabha from Purnea. He served four Lok Sabha terms, and asked one question on agriculture. He has been a member, off and on, of Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal. He has switched parties often, having been a member of the Samajwadi Party, and LJP.