Jan Suraaj Party Chief, Prashant Kishor on Wednesday informed that he will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The former election strategist described the move as a “decision taken in the larger interest of the party,” adding that contesting himself would have distracted him from crucial organisational responsibilities. Jan Suraaj has already released two lists of candidates, totalling 116 nominees so far.
“The party has decided that I should not contest the assembly polls. And therefore, the party has announced another candidate from Raghopur, against Tejashwi Yadav. It was a decision we took in the larger interest of the party,” said Prashant Kishore, stating that the leadership had made a strategic decision to keep him out of the electoral fray. “If I were to contest, it would have distracted me from the necessary organisational work. I will continue with the work I’ve been doing, strengthening the party on the ground,” he added.
Kishor launched Jan Suraaj’s campaign from Raghopur on 10 October, fuelling speculation that he would take on RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in his home turf. However, the party later nominated Chanchal Singh from Raghopur, signalling Kishor's intent to focus on broader political strategy rather than personal candidacy.
Prashant Kishor has set an ambitious electoral goal for his party, declaring that Jan Suraaj must win at least 150 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly to consider the campaign a success. “I can say with certainty that we will either win handsomely or receive a drubbing,” Kishor said. “I have been stating on record that I expect a tally of either fewer than 10 seats or more than 150. There is no possibility of anything in between.”
He added, “A tally less than 150, even if it is 120 or 130, shall be a defeat for me. If we do well, we will have the mandate to transform Bihar and make it count among the 10 most advanced states of the country. If we do not do well enough, it would mean the people have not shown enough confidence in us, and we must continue to carry on with our politics of the street and society.”
Taking a sharp swipe at Bihar’s ruling coalition, Kishor forecast a decisive defeat for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming polls. He was particularly critical of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the JD(U), a party he once worked closely with both as a strategist and briefly as a party colleague. “The NDA is definitely on its way out, and Nitish Kumar will not return as Chief Minister,” he said emphatically. “You do not need to be a psephologist to fathom what is in store for the JD(U).”
The former poll strategist also criticised both the NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc for internal disarray and delays in seat-sharing. He pointed to the last-minute confusion between the BJP and JD(U), which forced the cancellation of a scheduled press conference on Monday meant to formally announce the NDA’s seat-sharing deal. “There is complete chaos within the NDA. Even now, it’s not clear who will contest where whether it’s BJP or JD(U). The situation is no better in the INDIA bloc either,” Kishor said. He added, “There’s a never-ending tussle between the RJD and Congress, and it’s still unclear whether Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party remains a part of their alliance.”
The Bihar Assembly elections are set to be held in two phases, on 6 November and 11 November, with the counting of votes scheduled for 14 November. As per the Election Commission’s final electoral roll, 7.42 crore voters are eligible to vote.
