Prashant Kishor said he won’t contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.
BJP, JD(U) and RJD mocked his decision, calling it a sign of weakness.
Jan Suraaj Party has announced 116 candidates; polls to be held on 6 and 11 November.
Leaders of the BJP, JD(U) and RJD on Wednesday mocked Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor’s announcement that he would not contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, claiming he had realised that the political situation was not in his favour.
According to PTI, Kishor said earlier in the day that his decision not to contest was taken “in the larger interest” of his party. In an exclusive interview with the agency, he also stated that a tally of fewer than 150 seats for the Jan Suraaj Party would be considered a defeat.
Reacting to his remarks, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said Kishor had accepted defeat “even before going to the battlefield”. Tiwary told PTI that Kishor “has realised that he and his party will face a humiliating defeat in the upcoming assembly polls” and added that “politics is not as easy as providing consultancy to political parties”. “Kishor’s tyre has been flattened,” he said.
The BJP echoed similar sentiments. Its Bihar spokesperson Niraj Kumar said Kishor’s “bubble burst even before the elections” and that by announcing he would not contest, he had “admitted defeat for himself and his party”. He asserted that the Jan Suraaj Party would face a humiliating loss in the polls.
JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar described Kishor’s move as a “humiliation” for his party workers. “He has run away before the electoral battle. Earlier, he claimed to have undertaken padayatras to understand the people's issues. What happened to that? His decision is sheer embarrassment for his workers,” he said.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla remarked that Kishor, a “very smart businessman” and experienced election campaigner, appeared to have realised the ground situation was unfavourable. “If he loses this election, his business enterprise will have no takers in the future,” he told PTI, suggesting Kishor’s decision was based on “business considerations”. He said Kishor’s withdrawal reflected a “sign of weakness” and “lack of confidence”, though he acknowledged Kishor was “entitled” to make such decisions.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh also criticised Kishor, claiming the poll strategist-turned-politician “knew that he would not win the elections”. Referring to Kishor’s statement that winning fewer than 150 seats would constitute a defeat, Singh described it as “Mungerilal ke haseen sapne” — a reference to a television series about a daydreamer.
Singh further alleged that Kishor had already “recovered whatever he had invested” in forming the Jan Suraaj Party and called it a “‘vote katwa’ party” that would only divide votes. He also accused Jan Suraaj of being the “B team of the RJD”.
Kishor had earlier hinted at contesting from Raghopur, the constituency of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is seeking a third consecutive term. However, Jan Suraaj’s national president Uday Singh on Monday handed the party symbol to Chanchal Singh for the Raghopur seat in Vaishali district.
The Jan Suraaj Party has so far announced 116 candidates for the 243-member Bihar assembly. Elections will be held in two phases on 6 and 11 November, with counting scheduled for 14 November.
(With inputs from PTI)
