Shahabuddin’s son enters Bihar poll fray - Is late Bahubali’s clout still relevant in Siwan?

Bihar Election 2025: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has decided to field Osama Shahab from the Raghunathpur Assembly seat in Siwan district in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

Osama is the son of Mohammad Shahabuddin, the late gangster or bahubali from Bihar, who served as an MLA and Member of Parliament from Siwan.

A picture of Osama meeting with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav was viral on Thursday. Lalu Yadav is seen handing over the poll symbol to Osama in the picture, even as the official list of RJD has not yet been released. Osama, once official, will replace incumbent RJD MLA, Hari Shankar Yadav, as the RJD candidate from the Raghunathpur seat.

A member of Shahabuddin’s family won an election the last time 21 years ago. However, it appears that the late Bahubali remains relevant in the Siwan region, if not in the state of Bihar.

Lalu's RJD fields Shahabuddin's son

Lalu's RJD fielding Osama, five years after Shahabuddin's death, bears testimony to his clout in the stronghold.

Shahabuddin enjoyed cordial ties with Lalu, but bitterness crept in after the his death in 2021 as none of the RJD attended his funeral. Lalu Yadav had met Shahabuddin's wife in August when she reportedly requested the introduction of her son into politics.

Shahabuddin’s name in Siwan

Those who follow Bihar politics say that Shahabuddin’s name has always been associated with Siwan. His wife, Heena Shahab, however, failed to win elections from the region ever since the strongman was convicted in 2008 on several criminal cases and was disqualified from contesting.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Heena contested as an Independent from Siwan after being denied the RJD ticket. She lost after bagging 2.93 lakh votes. The winner Vijaylakshmi Devi, of the JD-U, got 3.86 lakh votes.

Soon after the 2024 polls, Heena and her son, Osama, rejoined the RJD. Her late husband Shahabuddin was a four-time MP from Siwan.

As Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 loom, the RJD is counting on Raghunathpur’s substantial Yadav and Muslim voters, besides the EBC, Dalit and upper caste population. Raghunathpur, which also falls in the Siwan district, is considered a ‘safer’ seat for the 30-year-old Osama’s debut.

Voting in Raghunathpur will take place on 6 November 2025 in first phase of Bihar election. Today is the last day of filing nominations for first-phase candidates.

Osama, who studied law in London, returned to India following the death of Shahabuddin. Heena decided to pass on the reins to her son after three consecutive defeats. Osama, 30, spent three months in jail in 2024 over two land dispute cases.

Who was Mohammad Shahabuddin?

Mohammad Shahabuddin was a prominent and controversial political figure from Bihar, India, widely known as a 'bahubali' (strongman) in the state’s politics. Starting as an independent MLA in the 1990s, Shahabuddin won the Lok Sabha polls from the Siwan seat four times.

During his active years, Shahabuddin was known for cultivating a stronghold in Siwan, combining influence among Muslim and Yadav voters with local muscle power.

Shahabuddin had a long list of criminal cases against him, including murder, kidnapping, and extortion, which earned him notoriety and led to his conviction for the first time in 2008.

Shahabuddin's rise from the 1990s

Shahabuddin won the first assembly election in 1990 from the Ziradei seat in Siwan as an Independent.

Lalu Prasad, who became CM for the first time in 1990, fielded Shahabuddin from Ziradei on his party Janata Dal ticket in the 1995 Assembly polls. Shahabuddin won.

“Lalu had started working on a Muslim-Yadav combination by the mid-1990s, and Shahabuddin fit the bill. He didn’t just win then but represented the Siwan Lok Sabha seat four times, until the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Despite his image as a feared strongman, he was able to create a constituency in sync with the RJD’s social formulations,” an RJD leader told the Indian Express.

Shahabuddin was convicted in 2008 in an attempt to murder case. He was unable to contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. He was subsequently convicted in other cases of murder and kidnapping and spent the rest of his life behind bars.

Heena, the RJD candidate. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Siwan, independent Om Prakash Yadav won, defeating Heena. In 2014, Om Prakash won the seat again as a BJP candidate, defeating Heena once again.

Heena contested again in 2019 as an RJD candidate and lost. In 2021, while still in jail, Shahabuddin passed away after contracting COVID-19.

In 2024, while Tejashwi Yadav was trying to shed his ‘jungle raj’ image, Heena was denied the ticket. She contested as an Independent candidate but lost to JD(U)’s Vijaylakshmi Devi.

Is Shahabuddin still relevant?

So, is Shahabuddin still relevant today? Yes, says political analyst Amitabh Tiwari. "In the Saran belt. Saran is one of the few belts where the Mahagatbandhan did well in the 2020 polls.

“This support switched to the NDA in 2024 Lok Sabha due to lack of support from Shahabuddin family,” he told LiveMint.

The term "Saran belt" refers to the Saran administrative division in Bihar, which consists of three districts: Saran, Siwan, and Gopalganj. This region is known for its rich history, cultural heritage, and significant political influence in the state.

“Plus, Muslim representation is low in Bihar in the RJD. The community is questioning this. Old Muslim leadership in Bihar is also giving way to new leaders like Osama,” Tiwari said.

Shahabuddin fought against the left parties during his prime. Now, the Left parties are the staunchest allies of the RJD in Bihar. In 2020, the CPI (M-L) L won two of the Siwan seats (Ziradei and Darauli) as part of the Mahagathbandhan. When asked about RJD fielding Osama, the CPI (M-L) L said it did not have any dispute with Shahabuddin’s family.

The Mahagathbandhan won five of the seven Assembly segments that fall under the Siwan Lok Sabha seat in the 2020 Assembly polls.