NEW DELHI: Politics in Bihar saw the dominance of RJD patriarch Lalu Yadav and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar for more than three decades. With Lalu and Nitish at the twilight of their careers, the upcoming assembly elections may lead Bihar into a phase of the "unknown," with a new face possibly taking the top job.
Vaishali's Raghopur may witness the contest of the new faces firsthand, as RJD scion Tejashwi Yadav and Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor may contest the elections from the turf that has long been dominated by the Lalu family.
Lalu won from this seat in 1995 and 2000. He was followed by Rabri Devi, who secured victory in 2000 and 2005 but lost to JD(U)’s Satish Kumar Yadav in 2010 amid Nitish Kumar’s “sushashan” wave. Since 2015, Tejashwi has been winning from this seat.
In the upcoming election, Tejashwi may contest again from RJD's traditional seat. However, speculations suggest that he can also contest election from Mithlanchal's Phulaparas seat after suggestions by party leadership.
On the first look, this can be seen as Tejashwi's efforts to consolidate not just RJD's traditional Muslim-Yadav vote base but also expanding support among the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), who constitute around 36% of Bihar's population and have largely supported Janata Dal (United) so far.
RJD leaders said Tejashwi’s candidature from Phulparas could send a strong message to the EBC community and bolster the RJD’s prospects in the region.
“Our socialist icon Karpoori Thakur also represented this seat in the past, and hence Tejashwi was told to consider the suggestion. It's up to him to decide, though,” an RJD leader told TOI earlier.
However, Tejashwi's decision to also stake a claim on Phulparas can also be seen as a reaction after poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor repeatedly hinted at contesting the poll against RJD leader from the Raghopur seat, if his party gives him a ticket.
On Saturday, PK claimed that Tejashwi will have to run for his money if Jan Suraaj decides to field PK from Raghopur. He said that the RJD leader would lose his seat, just like Congress' Rahul Gandhi had suffered a humiliating defeat in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh six years ago.
"We will go to Raghopur and sit with all those comrades and workers who have taken the message of Jan Suraaj to every household against the dominance of RJD there; we will meet the people so that when the Central Committee meets tomorrow, their views can be included. I will try to understand who the best person is there that the party considers suitable to contest the elections. Whatever people decide will happen."
"There is talk that Prashant Kishore is coming, so Tejashwi Yadav is looking for another seat. He will face the same fate as Rahul Gandhi in Amethi," he added.
Earlier, Kishor has hinted at contesting the poll against RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav from Raghopur seat in the assembly elections if his party gives him a ticket.
Kishor had said that a person should contest elections only from two places—his ‘janm bhoomi' (birthplace) or ‘karma bhoomi' (workplace).
"If I take a plunge into electoral politics, I will fight elections against Tejashwi only," Kishor, who lent his poll strategy service to many political parties, told reporters on Wednesday. "Agar ladenge toh Tejashwi ke khilaf hi ladenge. Dusre jagah se ladane ka kya matlab hai (If I contest elections, it will be against Tejashwi only. What is the point in contesting from the place other than Raghopur)?" he had said.
However, the ideas of Prashant Kishor contesting from Raghopur and Tejashwi Yadav contesting from another seat remain purely speculative, and speculation is not an entity that can be reliably quoted.
Why is Raghopur a subject of prestige for the Lalu clan?
Raghopur is an assembly seat in Bihar's Hajipur, dominated by the Yadav caste -- a key voter base of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. In 1995, Lalu Yadav won this seat on a Janata Dal ticket. In 2000, Lalu won again but vacated it for his wife, Rabri Devi, who won the subsequent bypolls. She retained the seat in 2005 but lost to JD(U)’s Satish Kumar Yadav in 2010 amid Nitish Kumar’s “Sushashan” wave.
In 2015, Tejashwi Yadav made his political debut from Raghopur and won with a comfortable margin. He retained the seat in 2020, defeating BJP’s Satish Kumar Yadav by a margin of 38,000 votes.
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. The 243 Assembly seats will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on November 14.
The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year. An Election Commission press release stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, and the number of electors in the draft list as of August 1, 2025, stood at 7.24 crore.
In the 2020 assembly election, BJP contested 110 seats and won 74, securing 19.8% of the vote share. The Janata Dal (United) contested 115 seats and won 43, with a 15.7% vote share and. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) contested 7 seats, winning 4, achieving 0.9% of the vote share.
Vaishali's Raghopur may witness the contest of the new faces firsthand, as RJD scion Tejashwi Yadav and Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor may contest the elections from the turf that has long been dominated by the Lalu family.
Lalu won from this seat in 1995 and 2000. He was followed by Rabri Devi, who secured victory in 2000 and 2005 but lost to JD(U)’s Satish Kumar Yadav in 2010 amid Nitish Kumar’s “sushashan” wave. Since 2015, Tejashwi has been winning from this seat.
In the upcoming election, Tejashwi may contest again from RJD's traditional seat. However, speculations suggest that he can also contest election from Mithlanchal's Phulaparas seat after suggestions by party leadership.
On the first look, this can be seen as Tejashwi's efforts to consolidate not just RJD's traditional Muslim-Yadav vote base but also expanding support among the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), who constitute around 36% of Bihar's population and have largely supported Janata Dal (United) so far.
RJD leaders said Tejashwi’s candidature from Phulparas could send a strong message to the EBC community and bolster the RJD’s prospects in the region.
“Our socialist icon Karpoori Thakur also represented this seat in the past, and hence Tejashwi was told to consider the suggestion. It's up to him to decide, though,” an RJD leader told TOI earlier.
However, Tejashwi's decision to also stake a claim on Phulparas can also be seen as a reaction after poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor repeatedly hinted at contesting the poll against RJD leader from the Raghopur seat, if his party gives him a ticket.
On Saturday, PK claimed that Tejashwi will have to run for his money if Jan Suraaj decides to field PK from Raghopur. He said that the RJD leader would lose his seat, just like Congress' Rahul Gandhi had suffered a humiliating defeat in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh six years ago.
"We will go to Raghopur and sit with all those comrades and workers who have taken the message of Jan Suraaj to every household against the dominance of RJD there; we will meet the people so that when the Central Committee meets tomorrow, their views can be included. I will try to understand who the best person is there that the party considers suitable to contest the elections. Whatever people decide will happen."
"There is talk that Prashant Kishore is coming, so Tejashwi Yadav is looking for another seat. He will face the same fate as Rahul Gandhi in Amethi," he added.
Earlier, Kishor has hinted at contesting the poll against RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav from Raghopur seat in the assembly elections if his party gives him a ticket.
Kishor had said that a person should contest elections only from two places—his ‘janm bhoomi' (birthplace) or ‘karma bhoomi' (workplace).
"If I take a plunge into electoral politics, I will fight elections against Tejashwi only," Kishor, who lent his poll strategy service to many political parties, told reporters on Wednesday. "Agar ladenge toh Tejashwi ke khilaf hi ladenge. Dusre jagah se ladane ka kya matlab hai (If I contest elections, it will be against Tejashwi only. What is the point in contesting from the place other than Raghopur)?" he had said.
However, the ideas of Prashant Kishor contesting from Raghopur and Tejashwi Yadav contesting from another seat remain purely speculative, and speculation is not an entity that can be reliably quoted.
Why is Raghopur a subject of prestige for the Lalu clan?
Raghopur is an assembly seat in Bihar's Hajipur, dominated by the Yadav caste -- a key voter base of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. In 1995, Lalu Yadav won this seat on a Janata Dal ticket. In 2000, Lalu won again but vacated it for his wife, Rabri Devi, who won the subsequent bypolls. She retained the seat in 2005 but lost to JD(U)’s Satish Kumar Yadav in 2010 amid Nitish Kumar’s “Sushashan” wave.
In 2015, Tejashwi Yadav made his political debut from Raghopur and won with a comfortable margin. He retained the seat in 2020, defeating BJP’s Satish Kumar Yadav by a margin of 38,000 votes.
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. The 243 Assembly seats will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on November 14.
The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year. An Election Commission press release stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, and the number of electors in the draft list as of August 1, 2025, stood at 7.24 crore.
In the 2020 assembly election, BJP contested 110 seats and won 74, securing 19.8% of the vote share. The Janata Dal (United) contested 115 seats and won 43, with a 15.7% vote share and. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) contested 7 seats, winning 4, achieving 0.9% of the vote share.
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