Political strategist turned Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has declared he will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections in November, prioritising the party's organisational growth over personal candidacy. The announcement, made during an exclusive interview with PTI, comes amid speculation of a high-profile showdown in Raghopur against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. Instead, Kishor's party has fielded local businessman Chanchal Singh for the seat, a move Kishor described as a collective decision for the greater good. "If I were to contest, it would have distracted me from the necessary organisational work," he explained, underscoring the fledgling party's focus on building a robust structure ahead of the polls.

Launched in October 2024 after Kishor dissolved his election strategy firm I-PAC, Jan Suraaj aims to disrupt Bihar's entrenched political duopoly of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA bloc. The party, which completed a 3,500 km foot march across the state earlier this year to rally grassroots support, has released three candidate lists so far, targeting 243 seats. Kishor's decision to step back from Raghopur—a Yadav stronghold where Tejashwi secured a massive 2020 victory—signals a strategy to avoid personality-driven contests and emphasise local leadership. This shift allows Kishor to helm statewide campaigning, leveraging his reputation for masterminding victories for leaders like Narendra Modi in 2014 and Nitish Kumar in 2015, while now challenging the very systems he once bolstered.

Kishor exuded optimism about Jan Suraaj's prospects, predicting a binary outcome: either fewer than 10 seats or over 150, with no middle ground. "If the Jan Suraaj Party wins the Bihar polls, it will have a nationwide impact. The compass of national politics will point in a different direction," he asserted, framing the election as a referendum on Bihar's development woes like unemployment, migration, and infrastructure deficits. Polling is slated for November 6 and 11 in seven phases, with results on November 14—a gruelling contest in a state where caste dynamics and alliances often dictate outcomes. Jan Suraaj's anti-corruption, pro-youth manifesto positions it as an alternative to the BJP-JD(U) NDA and the RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan, though polls suggest it may split anti-incumbent votes without securing a majority.

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Addressing the possibility of a hung assembly, Kishor dismissed it outright, insisting a fractured mandate is "an impossibility". He clarified that even 120-130 seats would constitute a defeat, insufficient for his vision of transforming Bihar into one of India's top 10 advanced states. In such a scenario, Jan Suraaj would eschew alliances with either the NDA or INDIA bloc, opting instead for "politics of the street and society" to build public momentum. This stance reflects Kishor's outsider ethos, honed from advising global campaigns, and could reshape Bihar's volatile politics if his gamble pays off. As the state braces for a fiercely contested poll season, Kishor's pivot reinforces his role as a catalyst rather than a contender, testing whether his blueprint can finally upend Bihar's cycle of underdevelopment.

Also Read: Bihar Elections: RJD Gets 135 Seats, Congress 61 as Grand Alliance Finalizes Formula