PATNA: When BJP president Amit Shah appointed Raghubar Das as a member of his new team earlier this year, not many people would have believed that the party leadership was grooming him for a larger role in his home turf.
Das, a seasoned politician and considered close to Shah, has won five consecutive elections from East Jamshedpur since 1995.
Originally from Chhtishgarh, Das started his career as an employee of Tata Steel where his father Chavan Das was also an employee. He belonged to the OBC Teli caste, a traditional BJP vote benk in the state.
He was Labour Minister when Babulal Marandi was CM in 2000. A former active member of the Akhil Vidyarathi Parishad, Das was an active member of BJP since its formation in 1980. He had actively participated in JP movement during his college days. 59-year-old Das is married to Rukmini Devi and he has a son and a daughter.