Raqesh entered Bigg Boss OTT 1 as one of the most popular contestants, admired for his gentlemanly demeanor. Nearly every female contestant considered him as a potential partner, but Shamita Shetty had already chosen him. While his kind and innocent nature initially won over the audience, many netizens criticized him for being overly influenced by Shamita.
In Week 1, Raqesh and Shamita faced nominations alongside Urfi Javed after losing the nomination task. He narrowly survived, securing just a few more votes than Urfi, as shown by voting trends. Over time, he and Shamita developed feelings for each other but chose to keep their relationship undefined until the show's end. However, tensions arose when Raqesh maintained a close friendship with Divya Agarwal—Shamita's former ally turned rival.
He frequently clashed with Pratik Sehajpal, Akshara Singh, Millind Gaba, Nishant Bhat, and Moose Jattana as the house split into opposing groups. Despite this, his housemates nominated him only twice, recognizing him as a generally nice person. On Day 39, he narrowly escaped eviction when Shamita’s best friend, Neha Bhasin, received fewer votes and was eliminated.
Raqesh ultimately finished as the 3rd runner-up, following Pratik’s decision to take the BB suitcase and exit the winner's race.
Raqesh later returned as a wild card contestant in Bigg Boss 15 alongside Neha Bhasin. However, netizens were displeased with the show's apparent favoritism toward Shamita Shetty, as her close circle kept joining—first her cousin, Rajiv Adatia, then her best-friend, Neha and finally her boyfriend, Raqesh.
Shortly after his entry, he found himself in heated clashes with Karan Kundrra and Vishal Kotian. However, his journey was cut short as he exited the house on Day 40 due to health issues.
