Bastion Betrayed? Flooded Yet Loyal, Why Raghopur Feels Abandoned By Its Own | Ground Report

“If it is a VIP constituency, it should be shining. But look at the condition here… just half-an-hour from Patna, this is the state of affairs,” laments a resident of Raghopur, the seat that has been a Yadav

family bastion for the last three decades.

Former deputy chief minister and RJD’s top leader, Tejashwi Yadav, is the sitting MLA for the last two terms from Raghopur and is filing his nomination on October 15 for a third term. His mother Rabri Devi has represented the seat three times while his father Lalu Prasad has been the MLA twice, starting 1990. With over 70 per cent Yadav votes, Raghopur is a fortress for the Yadav family like no other in Bihar.

But a visit to this constituency, which is an island between two streams of the Ganga, reveals rather mixed emotions. Roads are potholed, infrastructure in terms of schools or hospitals is poor, and the area is marooned by floods due to overflowing of the Ganga river. The silver lining is the new Ganga bridge that now takes one to Raghopur, instead of taking a boat ride to the constituency as was the case for decades. It is India’s longest cable-stayed bridge inaugurated just months ago by chief minister Nitish Kumar.

“The bridge has come, but nothing else. Are we paying the price for being an RJD stronghold and Tejashwi’s seat?” question a group of RJD supporters News18 met in Raghopur. They point out that their MLA is Tejashwi Yadav, but their MP is Chirag Paswan and the chief minister is Nitish Kumar—hence blaming both the state and the Centre for Raghopur’s neglect. But many others do not spare Tejashwi for not delivering.

“For three months each year, Raghopur is completely submerged under water. If the inundation by the Ganga-ji river does not stop, our land won’t remain. Our movement is affected. These three months are the worst for us. No one from the political class even comes to check if we are alive or dead…they will now come here to seek our votes in elections for sure,” a group of elders in Raghopur told CNN-News18.

Locals say they need a good hospital, schools and a college in Raghopur. Women here say if a person falls seriously sick, there is no option but to rush to Patna. “Many a times, lives are lost. Drinking water is an issue, cleanliness and sanitation is non-existent,” a group of women say, pointing to the dustbowl that Raghopur is. The ramshackle roads are so narrow that two vehicles are barely able to cross over. Clearly, the fruits of development elude Raghopur.

However, given the caste equations, locals in Raghopur seem to veer towards the Yadav family when it comes to ultimately casting their vote. “The hope is that if Tejashwi Yadav indeed becomes the chief minister, our fortunes may change,” another group of locals says. In 2010, JDU’s Satish Kumar Yadav had shocked all by defeating Rabri Devi from Raghopur. Satish is now with the BJP but has lost the last two elections to Tejashwi Yadav from Raghopur.

Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraaj Party had raised hopes with his day-long visit to Raghopur on October 11, saying he could possibly contest from the seat and take on Tejashwi. But his party has now allotted the Raghopur seat to another candidate.

Will Raghopur’s fortunes finally change? We will know on November 14.