Bihar: Major parties sceptical as Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party throws down the poll gauntlet

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s foray into electoral politics on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti in Patna has been met with cold reception from rivals who are questioning his credibility and ability to sustain in politics.

Kishor, a self-proclaimed Gandhian, launched the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on October 2, promising to transform Bihar through all-around development.

Attempt at inclusive politics

He is trying to shape a utopian model that will be helmed by “a new breed of young and educated” alongside some handpicked politicians from the current crop who enjoy a “credible” and "clean image”.

Manoj’s Bharati, a Dalit and former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) official, is the acting president of JSP. A few other retired bureaucrats and police officers are already part of Kishor’s team. The party’s yellow flag will feature images of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar, symbolising its belief in inclusive politics.

A few politicians who aspire to contest the 2025 state Assembly elections but are doubtful of getting a ticket from dominant political parties are looking forward to joining JSP.

Litmus test ahead

Leaders of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal United JD(U), and the BJP have dismissed assumptions that Kishor's party will make any mark in the Assembly polls.

Ashok Kumar Choudhary, a minister in Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet, has dubbed Kishor a “wavering” leader who claims to be a follower of Gandhi but acts against his ideals. “He claims to have managed several political parties but was never given a second chance wherever he worked," Choudhary said.

Kishor managed JD(U)’s successful poll campaign in the 2015 Assembly polls when it was in alliance with RJD, which resulted in Nitish Kumar’s return as chief minister.

Nitish credited his success to Kishor and as a reward made him vice-president of the JD(U). Later, Nitish had revealed that Kishor was elevated following a nudge from BJP leader Amit Shah.

Kishor’s Brahmin identity 

Shrawan Kumar, minister for development in Nitish’s cabinet opined that Kishor was basically a 'poll management' professional and will leave Bihar the moment he gets an offer from any party.

The BJP, at present in power with Nitish Kumar, slammed Kishor for using 'money power' in politics.

"New political parties come up like mushrooms before every election and fade into oblivion after the polls. Jan Suraaj is thriving on money and its leader is trying to buy voters. But Kishor is mistaken as people of Bihar have seen many such political outfits in the past and have rejected them,” said Samrat Choudhary, the former state BJP chief.

The BJP seems worried because Kishor, a Brahmin, could cause a dent in the upper caste vote bank (comprising 15 per cent of total share) which the party believes is its prerogative.

RJD's Muslim-Yadav votes at stake

The RJD, on the other hand, in a note to its leaders had asked them to keep away from JSP.

Misa Bharati, an RJD leader and MP, believes that Kishor is trying to create confusion among voters to benefit the BJP. “Since Kishor claims to have helped Narendra Modi to become Prime Minister and Nitish Kumar as chief minister, he should have pressured both to facilitate rapid development of Bihar," she said.

Also read: Prashant Kishor vows to scrap Bihar liquor ban if party comes to power

The RJD is particularly worried as Kishor has decided to field at least 40 Muslims in the forthcoming polls. He has roped in senior Muslim leader Monazir Hassan, former MP and minister in Nitish’s government. Muslim-Yadav or MY-combination form the backbone of RJD.

INDIA bloc’s ‘B-team’ or BJP’s ‘baby’?

RJD spokesman Shakti Singh Yadav dismissed such possibilities saying, “Muslims are against BJP and they do not waste their votes.” They all know that Jan Suraaj is the 'Baby of the BJP’, he said.

Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the real test of the Jan Suraaj leader will be in the elections when he faces voters.

Congress MLA Pratima Kumari Das claimed it was BJP’s game plan to weaken the JD(U).

"In the 2020 state elections, BJP had backed the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) led by Chirag Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha to field candidates against JD(U). Eventually, JD(U) could win only 43 seats," she said.

Experiment with limited potential, say experts

Independent political watchers said the JSP may cause damage to both the NDA and INDIA bloc.

“People of Bihar are fed up with the Lalu-Rabri and Nitish Kumar regimes that have been ruling the state for the last 34 years. It (JSP) seems like an Arvind Kejriwal-like experiment in Bihar, but its potential is limited," Nawal Kishore Choudhary, former professor of Economics in Patna University and a political commentator, told The Federal.

Though Kishor has got over the 'ridicule' of his rivals by mounting a successful show on the launch of his new party, the real test will begin when he manages to select candidates with clean image irrespective of caste considerations and ensures their victory.

‘Talks do not match actions’

“His ideals are high-sounding but actions do not match. He suspended his yatra midway after two phases of Lok Sabha elections and started giving interviews to news television channels predicting over 350 seats for BJP. It was aimed at salvaging the dwindling image of the BJP in the remaining phases of polls. His credibility quotient is low," said DM Diwakar, former director of the AN Sinha Institute in Patna.

Diwakar was critical of Kishor’s promise to lift prohibition in Bihar. “Kishor began his yatra from Mahatma Gandhi's Bhitiharwa Ashram in Champaran. But, now he has promised to lift prohibition once he comes to power. It sounds ridiculous and goes against the ideals of Gandhi. The issue is crucial for women, who have been voting for Nitish Kumar due to ban on liquor supply in Bihar," he said.

Bihar witnessed political changes in 1967-69, when the Socialists defeated the Congress, and then in 1977, when Indira Gandhi was defeated after the movement led by Jayprakash Narayan.

Testing waters for casteless politics

Kishor's barbs are mainly targeted at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and the BJP, but he hardly targets Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

His party's political future will depend largely on the political moves of the mainline political parties before the state elections. Speculations are rife about the future stance of Nitish Kumar, whose top priority is to win at least 70-odd seats in 2025 Assembly polls.

Although the odds are set against him, Kishor is trying to become a Third Force in Bihar. In a state where voting preferences are determined based on permutation and combination of castes, Kishor is testing the waters claiming he will try “casteless” politics.

The hypothesis will be tested in the upcoming by-election for four seats in the state Assembly (Ramgarh, Tarari, Belaganj, and Imamganj), which became vacant after their respective MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha early this year.