Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, the opposition’s Chief Ministerial face, is struggling to hold on to his family stronghold of Raghopur in the 2025 Bihar election. Currently, he is facing a tough battle from Bharatiya Janata Party’s Satish Kumar Yadav. The narrow margin has raised the possibility of a major upset for the RJD.
A defeat for Tejashwi Yadav would be a dramatic news. But what makes the situation even more significant is the identity of his opponent. Satish Kumar is the same leader who shocked the RJD in 2010 by defeating Tejashwi’s mother, Rabri Devi, in Raghopur. Fifteen years later, he is close to repeating that upset.
Satish Kumar, now 59, began his political journey with the RJD. He is an influential figure in the Yadav community, which makes up nearly 15 per cent of Bihar’s population. In 2005, he shifted to Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and contested from Raghopur. That election was won by Rabri Devi, who defeated him by over 25,000 votes. Five years later, in 2010, Satish Kumar made a strong comeback, defeating her by more than 13,000 votes.
He contested again in 2015, this time as a BJP candidate. However, the move did not pay off. He lost to Tejashwi Yadav in both 2015 and 2020, securing less than 40 percent of the votes each time. But in 2025, he appears closer than ever to turning the tables.
Meanwhile, the bigger picture shows the Mahagathbandhan facing a sweeping defeat. The BJP-JDU-led alliance is heading for a massive victory, performing even better than Home Minister Amit Shah’s prediction of 160 seats.
The Mahagathbandhan’s poor performance will also weaken the Congress-led INDIA bloc, especially with the crucial Bengal elections coming up next year.
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
