Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has ruled out contesting the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, confirming that he will instead focus on building and expanding his party, Jan Suraaj.
In an interview with PTI, Kishor said the party had collectively decided that he should prioritise organisational responsibilities over electoral participation.
“Jan Suraaj decided I should concentrate on organisational work and not contest,” Kishor told PTI, putting an end to weeks of speculation about his potential candidature.
The decision became evident on Monday evening when the party released its first list of candidates, naming Chanchal Singh as its nominee from Raghopur, a stronghold of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) represented by Tejashwi Yadav.
Kishor had previously indicated that if he entered the electoral fray, it would likely be from either Kargahar, his home constituency, or Raghopur. However, the list confirmed Ritesh Ranjan (Pandey) as the party’s candidate from Kargahar, signalling Kishor’s withdrawal from the contest.
Political observers note that had Kishor chosen to contest, it would have limited his ability to campaign across the state — a key challenge for the fledgling party that heavily depends on his public image and leadership.
Setting an ambitious target for Jan Suraaj, Kishor said the party would consider “anything less than 150 seats” a setback.
The former political strategist also made bold predictions about Bihar’s electoral landscape, asserting that the ruling NDA is headed for defeat.
“The NDA is definitely on its way out and Nitish Kumar will not return as Chief Minister,” he said, adding that the JD(U) is unlikely to cross 25 seats.
“You do not need to be a psephologist to fathom what is in store for the JD(U). In the last assembly polls, Chirag Paswan staged a revolt just a few days before the elections and fielded candidates—many of them insignificant—against Nitish Kumar’s nominees, bringing the party’s tally down to 43,” Kishor recalled.
Kishor also criticised the INDIA bloc, pointing to internal friction among its members. “The situation is no better in the INDIA bloc either. There is a never-ending tiff between RJD and Congress. And nobody knows if Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party is still with them,” he remarked.
Polling for Bihar’s 243-member Assembly will take place in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results to be declared on November 14.
