Jan Suraj Party founder Prashant Kishor , announced that he will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, a decision he said was made in the “larger interest of the party.”
According to reports, he explained that stepping aside would allow him to focus on the party’s organisational work rather than getting distracted by personal campaigning. The party has already announced a candidate from Raghopur, who will contest against Tejashwi Yadav in Kishor’s place. The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14.
“If Jan Suraj Party wins the Bihar polls, it will have a nationwide impact. The compass of national politics will point in a different direction,” Kishor said. He further clarified that a tally of less than 150 seats would be considered a defeat for the party, even if it secured 120 or 130 seats. “If we do well, we will have the mandate to transform Bihar and make it count among the ten most advanced states of the country,” he added, as quoted by The Hindu.
He also predicted that the election results would either bring a big victory or a clear setback for his party. “I expect a tally of either fewer than 10 seats or more than 150 seats. There is no possibility of anything in between,” he said.
When asked about possible alliances in case of a hung Assembly, the party founder dismissed the idea of a fractured mandate, indicating that the party expects a clear outcome. He said that the Jan Suraj Party will continue its focus on grassroots politics, or what he referred to as “samaj aur sadak ki rajneeti” (politics of society and the streets).
‘NDA Could Lose Bihar Elections 2025’: Prashant Kishor
He further predicted a clear defeat for the ruling NDA in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. He said that the BJP-led coalition is not effective in finalising seats and candidates, a major factor weakening the alliance. He reiterated his earlier observation that the JD(U), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, would struggle to win even 25 seats in the 243-member assembly. Kishor claimed the situation has only worsened for the party, suggesting that Nitish Kumar is unlikely to return as Chief Minister.
Recalling past election setbacks, he highlighted how Chirag Paswan’s last-minute revolt in the previous assembly polls had caused JD(U)’s tally to crash to 43 seats. He emphasised that understanding the challenges facing JD(U) does not require complex analysis, pointing to internal party conflicts and last-minute disturbances as key reasons for the expected NDA setback.
