Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Prashant Kishor, founder of Jan Suraaj, has raised allegations regarding Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s criminal background and educational qualifications. Kishor claimed during a public meeting that Choudhary has a history of criminal activities and questioned the legitimacy of his academic credentials, stating he “never passed the matriculation exam.”
Kishor accused Choudhary of frequently changing his name and linked him to a murder case involving the death of a Congress leader. According to Kishor, Choudhary was originally named Samrat Kumar Maurya and had been implicated in a case where bombs were thrown at Congress leader Sadanand Singh, resulting in six fatalities. Kishor noted that Choudhary was released from jail after six months due to being a minor at the time of the incident.
Kishor further stated that the Bihar School Examination Board had informed the Supreme Court that ‘Samrat Kumar Maurya’ failed his matriculation exam. He claimed, “When he became a minister and joined the Vidhan Parishad, he was suspended due to his young age. He now asserts this matter has been resolved. However, the Bihar School Examination Board confirmed to the Supreme Court that Samrat Kumar Maurya, who claims to have graduated from matriculation, received only 234 marks and failed.”
Additionally, Kishor pointed out that in 2010, Choudhary acknowledged in an affidavit that he had only passed class 7. “He hasn’t even passed matric, yet he claims to have a doctorate from the University of California. I want to ask, when did the Deputy CM pass matriculation?” he questioned.
Kishor also directed allegations against Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary, claiming he is involved in more than ₹200 crore in Benami property. Kishor alleged that Choudhary’s personal assistant purchased land for ₹34 lakhs, which was later transferred to Choudhary’s daughter for only ₹10 lakhs.
“Ashok Choudhary, a close aide of CM Nitish Kumar, has a significant record of corruption in Bihar. He had a PA, Yogendra Dutt, who in 2019 bought 0.7 acres of land under Dutt’s name for ₹34 lakhs. Two years later, that land was transferred to Shambhavi Choudhary for ₹10 lakhs, although it was valued at ₹34 lakhs,” Kishor explained. He further noted that the Income Tax department issued a notice stating that only ₹10 lakhs was reported for the property worth ₹34 lakhs. “To evade taxes, he transferred ₹25 lakhs to his PA’s account,” Kishor added.
These allegations come as Bihar prepares for elections later this year. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj plans to contest independently from both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition coalition, Mahagathbandhan, which includes RJD and Congress.
The Bihar Assembly elections are likely to occur in October or November, although an official date has yet to be confirmed by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The NDA, comprising BJP, JD(U), and LJP, seeks to maintain its power in the state, while the INDIA alliance, which includes RJD, Congress, and left-wing parties, aims to unseat Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The current Bihar Assembly holds 243 seats, with the NDA controlling 131 seats—80 from BJP, 45 from JD(U), 4 from HAM(S), and 2 independent supporters. The INDIA bloc holds 111 seats, led by RJD with 77, Congress with 19, CPI(ML) with 11, CPI(M) with 2, and CPI with 2.
(With inputs from agencies)
