The BJP centred its campaign on defeating the son of late strongman, Mohammad Shahabuddin, using strong words and heavy pressure, but voters rejected intense attacks against him
NEW DELHI – Braving a barrage of vitriolic attacks from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Osama Shahab on Friday registered victory from Raghunathpur constituency in Bihar’s Siwan District.
The victory of the son of late RJD strongman and a close associate of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mohammad Shahabuddin, is all the more remarkable as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) completely decimated the Mahaghatbandhan comprising the RJD, Congress and others in the assembly elections.
His victory has left many claiming that the voters of the area have given a strong answer to what they saw as unfair treatment of a Muslim candidate.
The BJP had placed huge focus on defeating Osama. From the moment his name was announced, senior BJP leaders spoke about him in speech after speech. Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath all campaigned against him, calling on voters to reject him. At one rally, Amit Shah said, “Even if a hundred Shahabuddins come, we will not allow him to win.” Yogi Adityanath also used harsh words, saying that Osama should be defeated at any cost. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma went even further, comparing him to a terrorist. These remarks created anger among many Muslims and several locals who felt that the campaign had crossed all limits.
Despite this intense pressure, Osama Shahab walked away with a clear victory. Osama received 88278 votes, defeating JDU candidate Vikas Kumar Singh, by a margin of about 9,200 votes.
Speaking after his win, Osama said, “People stood with me. They saw the attacks and they saw the unfair language. My win belongs to the public, not to me alone.”
For weeks, Raghunathpur had become the centre of national attention. BJP leaders repeatedly linked Osama to his late father and used his name to stir fear. During the campaign, Amit Shah accused the Grand Alliance of supporting terrorism and said that the RJD was taking Bihar back to what he called jungle raj.
But people in the constituency said that these remarks did not reflect their real concerns. A local resident, Shamim Ansari, said, “They came from far away only to attack our candidate. This seat may look small to Delhi leaders, but for us it is about dignity.”
Another voter, Meenakshi Devi, said she felt the campaign against Osama was too aggressive and unnecessary. She said, “They talked only about him, not about roads, schools or work. People got tired of the same thing being repeated.” Her words reflect what many from the constituency said in private conversations during and after the voting.
Many people in the area believe that the BJP made Osama the whole focus of its campaign because of his Muslim identity. For them, the attempt to label him in extreme terms felt like an attack on the community itself. A young voter from Raghunathpur, Fahad Alam, said, “When they compared him to a terrorist, it felt like they were speaking about all of us. We wanted to give a message that we will not accept this.”
The election results across Bihar have been a big win for the NDA, which secured 202 seats in the 243-seat assembly. The BJP won 91 seats and the JDU 83. The Grand Alliance suffered a major setback. Yet, even in such a difficult atmosphere, Osama’s win stands out as an exception, showing that some voters refused to follow the narrative pushed by the BJP’s top leadership.
With the victory now confirmed, Osama Shahab’s supporters have called the result a moment of strength for Muslims in Bihar. They say that no amount of pressure from Delhi leaders could break the will of the voters of Raghunathpur. One supporter said, “They tried everything. They sent their biggest leaders. But this seat showed that truth and dignity still matter to people.”
Osama’s victory has now become one of the most discussed wins of the entire Bihar election, not only because of the political drama around it but because people see it as a stand taken by the voters against targeted language and personal attacks. His win is more than just a seat; for many in Bihar’s Muslim community, it is a message of courage at a time when they feel increasingly singled out in politics.
