Supporters wait anxiously for the results in Bundu on Thursday. Pix: Prashant Mitra

Bundu/Ranchi, Jan. 8: He was clearly the man of the moment.

If defeating a seasoned politician like Shibu Soren by a wide margin was not proof enough, a swelling crowd going into raptures outside the counting station in Bundu sure was.

Profusely thanking the sea of supporters, Gopal Krishna Patar, fondly known as Raja Peter or the Robin Hood of Tamar, said he would not make tall promises, but do his best not to let the people down.

“People have shown great faith in me. I will go the whole hog to address their problems. Villages here lack clean drinking water and irrigation facilities. Though I don’t believe in making tall promises, I will do what I can,” he said.

It was the proverbial morning shows the day for Raja Peter. He maintained a steady lead over Soren during the first seven rounds of counting. Though he trailed behind after that, the last lap sealed Soren’s fate. A jubilant Peter and his political mentor, former rural development minister Anosh Ekka, stressed that it was the defeat of an individual candidate, and not of a chief minister.

Peter gave his supporters all the credit for his thumping win. Though excitement was writ large on his face, he strictly asked his men to maintain discipline before going inside the counting centre to collect his victory certificate.

The paperwork over, he invited his well-wishers home to join him for a grand feast. Ekka led the victory procession. While he usually calls Peter Gopal bhaiya, today the title turned to vidhayakji (MLA sir).

The honour is much deserved. For Raja Peter, it has been an arduous journey from a non-descript village in Sarjamdih, Tamar, to the seat of power. Branded the Robin Hood of Tamar by many, Peter is known to have been with his people through thick and thin. He has rushed accident victims to hospital, arranged for cash to marry off some poor man’s daughter and has even shouldered responsibilities of families who have their earning members.

The weather-beaten frame of a rickshaw-puller proudly holding the flag of the Jharkhand Party was telltale evidence of Peter’s soaring popularity. “Gopal bhaiya has been by my side when I needed a friend most. He arranged for cash, rice and jewellery during my daughter’s marriage,” said Bishu Mirdha, the rickshaw-puller.

Mirdha is not alone. There are many like him who almost hero-worship Peter.

The Tamar strongman left his job at Tata Steel after the murder of his first wife, a tribal Christian. It is believed to be the turning point in his life. He apparently he lost faith in the country’s judicial system and became a self-styled neta.

On several occasions, he took the law in his own hands. A few cases were also lodged against him in the past. He remained in Jamshedpur till 2000. He came close to then welfare minister Arjun Munda — his first political mentor who later became the chief minister. In 2003, Peter decided to return to his native Kamarhapa village. He began mobilising support. In 2005, he tried his luck as an Independent from Tamar. He was pitted against slain JD(U) leader Ramesh Singh Munda. He made his presence felt, but lost the polls.

But defeat never became a deterrent. And this time, he had the grit to throw down the gauntlet to Soren — and also emerge victorious.