Jan Suraaj Founder Prashant Kishor Will Not Contest Bihar Polls

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Wednesday announced that he will not be contesting the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11.

Speaking to the media, Kishor said, “The members of the party have decided that I should focus on working for the victory of other candidates of the party, so I am not contesting the elections.”

Kishor also commented on the ongoing seat-sharing tensions within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), stating, “The people of Bihar already know. Everyone is fighting for their share of the loot. The more seats they get, the more opportunities they will have to exploit Bihar. NDA and Mahagathbandhan are on the same page; we don’t know who is contesting for which seat.”

Targeting Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Kishor said, “From Jan Suraaj, a big doctor is contesting against Class 7th fail Samrat Choudhary. This time, Samrat Choudhary is going to be defeated in Tarapur.”

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha said the opposition Mahagathbandhan is struggling to finalize seat-sharing arrangements. He added that party supremo and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will begin the campaign tomorrow. According to Jha, JD(U) will release its first list of candidates by Wednesday afternoon, followed by a second list in a couple of days.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mrityunjay Tiwari highlighted internal rifts within the NDA, stating that the alliance now stands for “Naiya Doobegi Abki Baar.”

On Tuesday, the BJP released its first list of 71 candidates for the Bihar Assembly elections. The NDA’s seat-sharing arrangement, announced on Sunday, allocates 101 seats each to BJP and JD(U), while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest 29 seats. Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats each.

The opposition Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, Congress, Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party, and left parties, is still finalizing its seat-sharing. Congress leadership has held meetings at the residence of Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress Parliamentary Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The Jan Suraaj Party announced its second list of candidates on Monday for 65 assembly seats in Bihar, including 19 reserved seats (18 SC and 1 ST) and 46 general seats. The total number of registered electors in Bihar stands at 7.42 crore.

Bihar will go to the polls on November 6 and 11, with results expected on November 14.

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