Raghubar Das Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Raghubar Das

• Raghubar Das is an Indian politician from the BJP. He has served as the 6th Chief Minister of Jharkhand, and he is also the first non-tribal CM of Jharkhand. He took over the office of the Governor of Odisha in October 2023.

• According to Das, he did not perform well in Physics but was good in Math. He scored 99 out of 100 in the board exams of class 10.

• To monetarily assist his family, Das started working when he was in school. He initially worked as a daily wage labourer in Tata Steel. However, he left working there as he only got to work for three months in a year.

• He later worked at an electronics store following which he opened a coal stall, where he used to sell coal. In an interview, he talked about it and said,
  

  Father was a clerk. I also became a laborer in Tata, but got work only for three months in twelve months. In such a situation, an electrical goods shop was opened. Used to bring goods under the berth in the train compartment from Calcutta. Later the coal stall was opened. But always followed the path of right honesty.”

• During his college years, he became active in student politics and became a member of the student union. Due to his strong leadership abilities, he eventually rose to the position of the union’s president.

• He served a prison sentence at Gaya Jail in undivided Bihar under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure in the emergency from 1975 to 1977. During an interview, Raghubar disclosed that he opted not to take his BSc exams to join the protests led by Jayaprakash Narayan. He said,
  

  Father used to talk about concentrating on studies from the beginning. But when I entered student politics, there was no chance to return. Boycotted the exam and went to jail.”

  

  Raghubar Das in a group photo which was taken when he was young

• In an interview, Mool Chand, the younger sibling of Raghubar Das, said that their father, Chavan Ram, had reservations about Raghubar’s entry into politics. However, Chavan Ram granted his consent for Raghubar to pursue a political career after Raghubar was incarcerated during the emergency. He talked about it and said,
  

  Our father was not averse to politics. But he used to be angry when he took part in politics during his studies. However, when brother went to jail in the student movement of 1977, he got full support from father.”

• Following his release, he became a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

• As per Raghubar Das, he started learning how to operate a geared two-wheeler during his college years but discontinued it after an accident. Later, he decided to learn how to drive a gearless scooter. He, in an interview, talked about it and said,
  

  I Thought I should learn scooter also. A Sardarji was my friend. He owned a Lambretta and went out with him to learn scooter. After putting in gear near Jubilee Park Gate of Jamshedpur, when he took the accelerator too much, he could not control the scooter and fell with a crash on the road. The body was bruised. After that fear entered. Never drove a geared car.”

• After completing his formal education, he worked as a law professional at Tata Steel in Jamshedpur.

• He is one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 1980, he was a part of the first national committee meeting of the BJP in Mumbai.

• In the same year, he became a polling agent for the BJP candidate Dinanath Pandey.

• In the 1995 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, Raghubar Bas secured a victory by achieving 1,18,972 votes.

• Das does not have any property to his name. He is said to be a follower of Kabir.

• He is considered to be in the core team of Amit Shah.
  

  Raghubar Das with Amit Shah

• After being appointed as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das held the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, and Planning and Development.
  

  A photo of Raghubar Das taken while he was being administered the oath of the Chief Minister of Jharkhand

• Das made headlines in 2017 after he drove a gearless scooter without a helmet in Ranchi for which he was trolled online by the net users. According to sources, the netizens made fun of him as he had earlier directed the cops to fine citizens for not wearing helmets for their safety. ^[8]Jharkhand State News
  

  Raghubar Das riding a scooter without a helmet

• On 17 October 2019, while addressing a rally in Dhanbad, he used derogatory language while referring to the Congress. He said – “The Congress is a gang of “chirkuts,” “chottas” and “rain frogs” as they come out to make sounds only during elections.” ^[9]India Today

• On 23 December 2019, Das, along with other BJP leaders of Jharkhand, lost their seats in the Jharkhand Assembly Elections, and Das had to resign from the CM’s post; as the BJP could not retain the majority in the state.
  

  Raghubar Das submitting his resignation to Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu

• Reportedly, Das’ electoral defeat took place due to multiple factors, such as disregarding bureaucratic advice, a rise in incidents of mob lynching, insufficient emphasis on enhancing healthcare, education, and infrastructure, and overlooking the concerns of tribal communities. Following his election loss, it is said that the BJP marginalized him. He talked about it, in an interview, and said,
  

  Jaichands are present everywhere. And the party lost due to few Jaichands. At times conspiracy succeeds. But success through conspiracy does not last for long. I have struggled to rise through the ranks and reach here. Struggle gives you power.”

• The Government of India released an official notification announcing his appointment as the 26th Governor of Odisha in October 2023.
  

  Chief Justice of Odisha administering oath to Raghubar Das

• Following Raghubar Das’s swearing-in ceremony as the Governor of Odisha, he became emotional during an interview while remembering his past.

• In an interview, Das revealed that he loved cricket and football. He, however, left playing cricket after getting wounded during a match.

• According to Das, number 1101 is his lucky number as it was the margin of votes with which he won his first election in 1985. He also said, in an interview, that all his vehicles have registration numbers ending with the number 1101.

• As per Raghubar Das, he likes to try different types of street foods.