His educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce degree from St. Xavier's College, Ranchi, and a law degree from the Government Law College, Mumbai. He is also a trained commercial pilot, which is a unique aspect of his profile.

He began his political career with the BJP in the late 1980s. He first came into the limelight when he was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament, from the Chhapra constituency in Bihar in 1996. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 1999 and has since been a prominent figure in Bihar politics.

His political career has not been without its challenges. He lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and 2009, which was a setback for him. However, he made a comeback in 2014 when he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the Saran constituency in Bihar and then went on to retain it once again in 2019 and 2024.

He faced criticism in May 2021, even as Bihar was grappling with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when thirty ambulances that were not in use were discovered parked at his Amnour Vishw-Prabha community centre. Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme funds were used to buy these ambulances (MPLADS).