Pass Or Fail? Decoding Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Debut In Bihar Bypolls

Bihar Bypolls: Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishore has scripted landslide victories for several political parties in the past, but did he fail to secure a mark for his own party, Jan Suraaj, in their debut Bihar Assembly by-elections? Often referred to as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s B-team, Kishor launched his party on October 2, this year, and took a step towards creating a distinct identity.  

The Jan Suraaj pitched four candidates: Kiran Singh in Tarari, Mohd. Amjad in Belaganj, Jitendra Paswan in Imamganj, and Sushil Kumar Singh Kushwaha in Ramgarh. When results were announced on Sunday, Singh Amjad and Paswan finished in third position, while Kushwaha settled for fourth. Although defeated, the performance is good enough to not go unnoticed for a month-old political party.  

If we take Bihar’s reaction to new political discourse into consideration, it shows little to no response. In the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls, when an alumna of the London School of Economics, Pushpam Priya Choudhary, launched herself as a Chief Ministerial candidate under the Plurals Party, she was exiled. Choudhary bagged only 5,189 votes, just 3.6% of total votes cast. When we compare it to the by-poll results and Jan Suraaj candidates’ tally, Imamganj’s Jitendra Paswan secured 37082 votes, which amounts to 22% of total ballots cast.  

Meanwhile, Kiran Singh secured 5,592 votes in Tarari, accounting for 3.5% of the total votes cast. Sushil Kushwaha garnered 6,506 votes in Ramgarh, representing 3.8%, while Mohd. Amjad received 17,268 votes in Belaganj, achieving 10% of the total vote share.  

Commenting on the by-election results, Kishore told reporters in Patna, “While we acknowledge that we could have performed better, it's important to note that our party is just a month old, and we received our poll symbol only on November 1. However, these factors cannot justify the party's disappointing performance. We are committed to working harder next time, and there’s no reason for anyone in our party to feel disheartened," he added.  

Since launching the Jan Suraaj Yatra in West Champaran, Kishor claims to have covered over 5,000 km on foot across 14 districts and another 10 districts by car. His supporters say this extensive tour has helped build a network of grassroots leaders while understanding Bihar's social and regional diversity. 

Kishor envisions Jan Suraaj as a unique political platform in Bihar, a state burdened by socio-economic challenges and dominated by the RJD, BJP, and JD(U). He often emphasizes that his party aims to tackle systemic issues and offer a fresh alternative to traditional politics. Kishor has also called on Muslims and Dalits, who make up 37% of the state’s population, to unite for a common cause. 

Does this suggest that Kishor's cause and vision are striking a chord with Biharis? Based on his party's performance in the recently concluded polls, it appears Kishor has begun steering in the right direction, laying the groundwork for what could potentially be a larger political movement in the state. While he may not ascend to power in next year’s assembly elections, the horizon looks promising ten or fifteen years down the line.