Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor announced that he will not contest the Bihar assembly elections, saying the party made the decision in its overall interest. “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. If I were to contest, it would have distracted me from the necessary organisational work”, Kishor said.
Why did Kishor decide not to contest the elections?
Organisational focus: Prashant Kishor stressed that the party decided together that he should focus on building and strengthening Jan Suraaj across Bihar rather than contesting an assembly seat himself. Well, looking at it wholistically, running for a seat would have limited him to one constituency, making it difficult to manage the overall campaign and ensure the growth and welfare of the party, in what is going to be its first election. Laying a strong organisational foundation could be more important for the long-term success of Jan Suraaj than winning a single seat in the short term.
Poltical calculus: The party may have come to the conclusion of not fielding Kishor from high-profile constituencies like Raghopur, as it is a stronghold of Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD, or his home constituency of Kargahar. As per what Kishor has revealed, contesting from these seats, would have pulled away focus from the party’s campaign and more on him on an individual level. This is why the party has chosen other candidates from these key seats. For instance, Chanchal Singh will take on Tejashwi Yadav in Raghopur.
‘A tally less than 150 is a defeat’ for Prashant Kishor
When asked, if the elections result in a hung assembly, which party would he support, Kishor said, “a tally less than 150, even if it is 120 or 130, shall be a defeat for me.”
He explained that winning fewer than 150 seats would be considered a defeat, while a strong showing could give the party a chance to transform Bihar and improve its standing among India’s top states. He dismissed the idea of a fractured mandate, suggesting that a hung assembly is unlikely.
“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,” he said.
High Stakes for Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party
The 2025 Bihar elections are the first elections for Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, which is going to be their first real test after three years of groundwork. Kishor’s efforts began with a Padyatra across 5,000 villages, where he worked to engage with the local communities, spot leaders at the grassroots, and create an arena rooted in the people. With Kishor not contesting the polls himself, the party’s performance will now show whether this long-term effort has successfully turned into voter support and trust.