Prashant Kishor during padyatra
NEW DELHI: The strategist who had previously scripted victories for BJP and JD(U) scored a duck in his debut match in the Bihar elections. The chatter on the ground and even in the newsrooms around Jan Suraaj had never been this dismal until the exit polls capped the alliance at a maximum of 10 seats.People felt he made sense when he spoke about migration, education, jobs and jungle raj. But in the end, barring 2 exceptions, most of his candidates had their ‘zamaanat zabt’ in the Bihar Assembly elections — not too bad for a new entrant, but remarkably poor for a seasoned poll strategist.Prashant Kishor had left the JD(U) in 2020 and then moved to Bengal, where he led the Trinamool Congress to victory in 2021. After that, he announced a break from political consulting. In March 2022, Prashant brought together a team of his I-PAC colleagues to plan and execute a yatra across Bihar, one of the most extensive padyatras in recent history, unlike Rahul and Tejashwi’s yatras, largely led on vehicles.Both the government and the opposition were low-key, if not welcoming, about the attempt to make inroads into their backyard. They watched from the sidelines, with caution, until he launched his party about a year ago, in October 2024.
The ‘B-team’?
The opposition accused Jan Suraaj of being the BJP’s B-team and of splitting anti-NDA votes by fielding women and Muslim candidates, while BJP leaders like Sanjay Jaiswal alleged that the party was actually working for RJD chief Lalu Prasad.Prashant refuted both these claims, saying, “Both these parties, the RJD and the BJP, call us the B-team. But, in reality, Jan Suraaj is the people’s B-team.” He also categorically denied joining any pre or post-poll alliances every time he was questioned.At the outset, besides talking about issues, Prashant’s attack on his opposition had two major themes: attacking the RJD for jungle raj and its leader being a “9th fail”, and taking on Nitish Kumar’s health. As he had said, his main concerns were these two and not the BJP, which was at the centre.He, however, said that the party had given people the Mandir, not jobs, as people voted for the Mandir and nothing beyond that. As the election drew closer, he even levelled allegations against deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, alleging that he is an accused in a 1995 murder case.
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A disruptor
The Bihar election results did more than just dislodge the RJD, which had been the single largest party in 2015 and 2020, and pushed Congress to its worst performance since 2010, with only three seats.They also reshaped the power balance within the NDA, lifting the BJP to a position where, for the first time, it clearly overshadowed its long-time ally, the JD(U). These two shifts were exactly what the BJP had been eyeing going into this election.PK’s vote share may be just 3.14 per cent with no seats to show, but Jan Suraaj still finished third in 115 constituencies, from West Champaran and Jhanjharpur to Nirmali, Triveniganj, Purnia, and more, effectively playing the role of a ‘vote katwa’. And with the BJP’s strong sweep, his votes ended up boosting the BJP’s tally, cutting into both the Mahagathbandhan and the JD(U).
Not the end
How Jan Suraaj’s math went wrong is something for political pundits and PK himself to see. But finishing third on 115 seats is no small feat for a debutant outfit. It shows the party managed to carve out a noticeable presence, even if it couldn’t convert that into actual wins. For now, the party proved to be more of a disruptor than a challenger.Prashant has repeatedly said that he won’t back down. His next test comes much sooner than 2030- the Panchayat elections in 2026, where he may attempt to make a comeback. Go to Source
