NEW DELHI: Prashant Kishor has announced that he will not be running in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, a decision made for the “greater good” by his newly formed political outfit, Jan Suraaj. Kishor confirmed this in an exclusive interview with PTI.
There was considerable speculation regarding Kishor’s potential candidacy, particularly about challenging RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in his stronghold of Raghopur. However, the release of Jan Suraaj’s second list of candidates, which did not include Kishor’s name, clarified his absence from the contest. Instead, the party has chosen political activist Chanchal Singh to contest against Yadav.
Tejashwi Yadav is expected to file his nomination from Raghopur on Wednesday, amidst ongoing seat-sharing discussions within the INDIA alliance. Kishor remarked, “The party has decided that I should not contest the assembly polls. If I were to contest, it would have distracted me from the necessary organizational work.”
Despite stepping aside, Kishor remains confident about his party’s chances in the forthcoming elections, stating, “I can say with certainty that we will either win handsomely or receive a drubbing. I expect a tally of either fewer than 10 seats or more than 150 seats. There is no possibility of anything in between.” He further established that a tally of fewer than 150 seats would be viewed as a defeat.
Kishor emphasized that a successful outcome could give the Jan Suraaj Party a mandate to transform Bihar into one of India’s ten most advanced states. Conversely, an unsuccessful run would signify a lack of public confidence in the party, leading them to continue their grassroots political engagements.
Kishor, who has previously worked closely with JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, expressed skepticism about the JD(U)’s performance, predicting they may struggle to secure even 25 seats in the 243-member assembly. He stated, “The NDA is definitely on its way out and Nitish Kumar will not return as chief minister.” He recalled that in the last assembly elections, Chirag Paswan’s revolt led to a significant decline in JD(U)’s seat count.
Kishor also noted the current “complete chaos” within the NDA, pointing out uncertainties regarding candidate placements for both the BJP and JD(U). He asserted, “If the Jan Suraaj Party wins the Bihar polls, it will have a nationwide impact. The compass of national politics will point in a different direction.”
The Bihar assembly elections are scheduled to occur in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting slated for November 14.
