Bihar polls: Lalu Yadav's fortress of Raghopur wants more than just legacy

RAGHOPUR: Lalu Prasad's family bastion hardly looks like a VIP constituency, despite having been represented by two former chief ministers and a deputy CM.A stretch of worn-out concrete road greets you as you get off the six-lane bridge over the Ganga that is nearing completion, connecting Vaishali constituency with Patna.

Farmers are preparing to sow wheat as fields dry up after being under water for months.At a nearby sweet shop, Santosh, who runs a salon, credits Lalu for bringing power lines to the village but says floods remains a major issue. He has no doubt about the outcome of this month's assembly polls. "Tejashwi (Yadav) is winning," he says.Vishal Kumar, overhearing the chat while polishing off his samosa, disagrees. "Tejashwi may win with a lower margin, but this is the same constituency where Rabri Devi lost in 2010.

Voting is on caste lines, but even people from my community aren't happy with how he handled the floods. He was nowhere to be seen," says Vishal, identifying himself as a Yadav.Mahagathbandhan's CM face Tejashwi is pitted against BJP's Satish Kumar, who had defeated Rabri in 2010 by 13,000 votes. Tejashwi avenged that loss in 2015 and 2020, winning by over 38,000 votes last time. Lalu Prasad won Raghopur in 1995 and 2000 before Rabri represented it in 2005.

Like many others, Chitwan, who runs a kirana shop in Rustampur village, is upset with Tejashwi. "We didn't even get the chura (flattened rice) sent for flood relief. His people ate it up. Tejashwi doesn't bother about the constituency. He didn't show up even in 2016. Our people don't get to meet him," he says.Chitwan credits PM Narendra Modi for ensuring power supply and CM Nitish Kumar for connecting the area with the six-lane bridge.

"Earlier, you had to take a boat to come here. Now you can reach Patna in minutes," he says.Beyond connectivity, power and few narrow roads, there is little to show for development. Most villagers work in fields or migrate for jobs. Floods remain perennial issue.A few kilometres away, farmer Karoo Rai is confident not only about Tejashwi's win but also about Mahagathbandhan forming next govt. "He promised five lakh jobs and delivered.

NDA makes promises but doesn't deliver. There is mass support for Tejashwi," he says, showing off an RJD scarf Rabri recently gave him.With Tejashwi busy campaigning statewide, Rabri is going door to door in Raghopur, urging voters to press the button next to RJD's lantern symbol. "She's meeting family members - everyone is family here," says her aide as she steps out of her SUV in Rampur Shyamchand, BJP candidate Satish's home turf.While old-timers gather to greet former CM and pledge support, some youths remain restless. "Nitish brought connectivity. Lalu may have built the road, but what else have they done?" says Shrawan Kumar, a first-time voter.Raghopur's large Yadav population still gives Lalu's family an edge, but questions over development persist. "Laluji got us a referral hospital but not a degree college," says Binay Kumar, who divides his time between Rustampur and Ludhiana, where he works in a garment unit. His young relative interjects: "Let Tejashwi become CM and things will change. He wasn't given free hand - whatever he wanted was blocked by NDA.

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