Patna, Dec. 9: Raghopur has finally found its voice.

For five years, the erstwhile VIP constituency had been hoping for a bridge over the Ganga that would link it to the state capital of Patna. For five years, it never got to see its representative in the Assembly — the redoubtable former chief minister, Rabri Devi.

Satish Kumar — the 40-year-old “giant killer” who defeated his once-mentor Rabri in Raghopur — has done what the VIP legislator could not do.

Unlike Rabri, who seldom spoke in the House, the debutant MLA today stood up to demand a bridge on the Ganga to connect Patna and Raghopur through a non-government resolution.

Raghopur is surrounded by the Ganga and Gandak from all sides and is virtually an island which the wife of RJD boss Lalu Prasad had never lost earlier. This time, Satish defeated Rabri by a margin of over 13,000 votes.

Unlike the debutants who usually keep quiet in the House, Satish was quite emphatic in his demand; so much so that he extracted an assurance from the road construction minister, Nandkishore Yadav, to get the bridge built.

“As many as 20,000 people were suffering due to the absence of any link. They cross the Ganga by boats everyday to come to Patna and return back. The government must build the bridge between Rustampur (on the Raghopur side) and Kutchi Dargah (Patna) to mitigate the sufferings of the people,” said Satish, who belongs to the Janata Dal (United).

“It is a necessary demand and the government will look into it,” Nandkishore assured the House during the post-lunch session dedicated to non-government resolutions moved by non-minister members.

Outside the House, even an RJD legislator was heard murmuring: “If the bridge is built, Raghopur will become even more difficult for Rabri Devi to win. The bridge will help Satish establish his credentials in the constituency.”

Talking to The Telegraph later, Satish Yadav said, “I am simply surprised why Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, who kept on winning the Raghopur seat ever since 1995, never even thought of building the much-needed bridge.” Satish pointed out that the residents of Raghopur whole-heartedly backed the Lalu-Rabri couple for years. “But Lalu and Rabri repeatedly forgot the people of Raghopur after winning the seat. The people eventually got disenchanted. They rejected her and reposed faith in me.”

“But unlike them I am a simple worker. I know my limitations. I will work hard to get the bridge constructed so that I can go to the voters again after five years,” said Satish.

Satish Yadav was once a die-hard supporter of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi. He played a pivotal role in ensuring Rabri’s victory from Raghopur during the 1995 and 2000 Assembly elections. But he fell out with the couple when Lalu Prasad began promoting Bisundeo Yadav, a Ganga diara “don” and Satish’s political rival.

It was at this stage that Nitish Kumar brought Satish into his party and pitted him against his “mentor (Rabri)” in the 2005 Assembly polls which Satish marginally lost to Rabri. Five years down the line, Satish has wrested the seat from Rabri, virtually relegating her into history.