Bihar Election 2025: Poll strategist-turned-politician, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has released the first list of his party for the upcoming Bihar assembly election. The list has a total of 51 candidates, including 11 belong to backward classes, 17 to extremely backward classes, nine are from minority communities and the rest from the general category.

Prashant Kishor said those who have worked hard for the party have been given ticket to contest the elections. “”For change in Bihar, to create a better system, the effort that Jan Suraaj has started is now in its final and decisive phase. We had promised the people of Bihar that those who will work to improve Bihar will be given the opportunity to contest elections…Tickets have been given to those who have worked the hardest over the past nearly 2 years to advance Jan Suraaj…” he said.

Recently, ending suspense, he announced that he would also contest the polls, and said that his party will fight the electoral battle alone on all the 243 assembly seats.

He has campaigned against both the ruling regime of NDA and the opposition’s INDIA bloc for months now. 

A king maker who has planned the victory of many, is now himself in the contest that will test his ground strength in Bihar. The state will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11, while the results will be declared on November 14. 

The first list contains names of  51 candidates, including famous Mathematician KC Sinha from Kumhrar in Patna.

Sone of the prominent names on the list include popular Bhojpuri singer Ritesh Ranjan Pandey from Kargahar, and Pritti Kinnar from the third gender community from Bhorey seat in Gopalganj.

Other candidates include YV Giri (Manjhi), Dr Amit Kumar Das (Muzaffarpur), Dr Shashi Shekhar Sinha (Gopalganj), Drig Narain Nishad (Valmiki Nagar), Sunil Kumar (Lauriya), Awadhesh Ram (Harsidhi–SC), Dr Lal Bbau Prasad (Dhaka), Usha Kiran (Sursand), Vijay Kumar Sah (Runnisaidpur), Mhd Parvej Alam (Benipatti), Ram Parvesh Kumar Yadav (Nirmali), Raghib Bablu (Sikti), Abu Affan Farooque (Kochadhaman), Afroz Alam (Amour), Md Shahnawaz Alam (Baisi), Kunal Nishad (Pranpur) and Kishor Kumar (Saharsa

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Will Prashant Kishor be able to put up a strong third front?

Up against both NDA and INDIA bloc, the fight for survival in Bihar‘s political landscape is not easy for Kishor. Having made the career of many, Prashant Kishor has a big challenge to turn people coming to his rallies into his loyal voters. The NDA and the opposition have their own score to achieve in the elections, and Bihar now has a third bloc making the polls tripolar. 

Kishor’s focus, reports say, is on fielding candidates who have ground connections and can make an impact on people of their respective constituencies. He has already blamed Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav for massive corruption in the state, so fielding people linked to these two sides is not an option that he would employ. Former government officials, doctors and other professionals are likely to be on the list.

Though IANS-Matrize opinion poll predicted a clear victory for the NDA and disappointment for the third front, the numbers can change.

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Jan Suraaj’s campaign

Prashant Kishor’s party has also launched a crowdfunding campaign to fight the Bihar assembly elections. National president of the party, Uday Singh further said that they have moved the high court, accusing the NDA government in Bihar of being involved in corruption amounting to Rs 70,000 crore.

Speaking at the launching of the Jan Suraaj Contribution app at a press conference on Wednesday, Singh claimed that people are eager to contribute “to the rise” of the party.

“People now can contribute from Rs 100 to Rs 50,000 through the app, which is available in Hindi and English,” he said. Jan Suraaj Paty is consistently exposing the corrupt ministers of the NDA government, Singh added.

“We have knocked at the doors of the high court in the corruption case involving an unaccounted sum of Rs 70,000 crore. Officials of the Bihar government have gobbled up this sum,” he further said, quoted PTI.