Prashant Kishor fails to open account on political debut
Patna: Prashant Kishor is credited by many as the scriptwriter behind electoral successes of several political parties. But his most anticipated script has turned out to be a spectacular dud.
His party, Jan Suraaj , miserably failed on its debut in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections as its 236 candidates trailed the NOTA option in more than 55 seats, raising questions over the poll strategist’s claims of converting social media traction into actual votes in a state where caste and coalition dynamics remain paramount.
In the fiercely fought contest between the ruling NDA and INDIA bloc , Jan Suraaj appeared to have provided a third force.
After more than a decade of delivering electoral victories from behind the scenes, he launched Jan Suraaj in Bihar after a long ‘padyatra’ to connect with grassroots and a promise to focus on meritocracy and improved governance.
Jan Suraaj’s campaign was meticulously crafted to appeal to youth and first-time voters, addressing nagging issues such as mass migration for jobs, youth unemployment , poor public education and inadequate healthcare infrastructure. By fielding professionals, retired bureaucrats and educated individuals among its 236 candidates, the party presented itself as an alternative to Bihar’s traditional political class.
Despite extensive campaigning and digital outreach, Jan Suraaj failed to win even a single seat. In 57 constituencies, including Munger, Bodh Gaya, Aurangabad, Tikari Raghopur, Siwan, Forbesganj, Araria, Alinagar and Mahua, the party’s candidates polled fewer votes than NOTA.
In Marhaura, party’s Abhay Singh was runner-up with 58,190 votes. In seats such as Katihar, Samastipur and Darauli, Jan Suraaj narrowly outpolled NOTA by only a few hundred votes. In urban areas of Patna district—Bankipur, Digha, Phulwari and Patna Sahib—the party emerged as the third most-voted option, indicating some resonance with urban anti-incumbency sentiment but an inability to penetrate core support bases of the major alliances. However, Barh, Maner, Masaurhi and Bikram assembly seats in Patna saw the party trailing the NOTA category.
The party’s media in charge, Obaidur Rahman, acknowledged the poor outcome. He said the leadership would “analyse why the vote percentage was so low despite positive feedback from the masses, especially the youth.” He added that “good people got tickets, but voters were not ready to accept them who had the will to bring a change” and this is reflected in the election results this year. Mokama’s candidate Priyadarshi Piyush finished third in contest with strongman Anant Singh.
Rahman said the party was sure of winning over 20 seats in urban centres such as Kumhrar, Bhagalpur, Tarapur and Muzaffarpur but saw most candidates relegated to third place.
His party, Jan Suraaj , miserably failed on its debut in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections as its 236 candidates trailed the NOTA option in more than 55 seats, raising questions over the poll strategist’s claims of converting social media traction into actual votes in a state where caste and coalition dynamics remain paramount.
In the fiercely fought contest between the ruling NDA and INDIA bloc , Jan Suraaj appeared to have provided a third force.
After more than a decade of delivering electoral victories from behind the scenes, he launched Jan Suraaj in Bihar after a long ‘padyatra’ to connect with grassroots and a promise to focus on meritocracy and improved governance.
Jan Suraaj’s campaign was meticulously crafted to appeal to youth and first-time voters, addressing nagging issues such as mass migration for jobs, youth unemployment , poor public education and inadequate healthcare infrastructure. By fielding professionals, retired bureaucrats and educated individuals among its 236 candidates, the party presented itself as an alternative to Bihar’s traditional political class.
Despite extensive campaigning and digital outreach, Jan Suraaj failed to win even a single seat. In 57 constituencies, including Munger, Bodh Gaya, Aurangabad, Tikari Raghopur, Siwan, Forbesganj, Araria, Alinagar and Mahua, the party’s candidates polled fewer votes than NOTA.
In Marhaura, party’s Abhay Singh was runner-up with 58,190 votes. In seats such as Katihar, Samastipur and Darauli, Jan Suraaj narrowly outpolled NOTA by only a few hundred votes. In urban areas of Patna district—Bankipur, Digha, Phulwari and Patna Sahib—the party emerged as the third most-voted option, indicating some resonance with urban anti-incumbency sentiment but an inability to penetrate core support bases of the major alliances. However, Barh, Maner, Masaurhi and Bikram assembly seats in Patna saw the party trailing the NOTA category.
The party’s media in charge, Obaidur Rahman, acknowledged the poor outcome. He said the leadership would “analyse why the vote percentage was so low despite positive feedback from the masses, especially the youth.” He added that “good people got tickets, but voters were not ready to accept them who had the will to bring a change” and this is reflected in the election results this year. Mokama’s candidate Priyadarshi Piyush finished third in contest with strongman Anant Singh.
Rahman said the party was sure of winning over 20 seats in urban centres such as Kumhrar, Bhagalpur, Tarapur and Muzaffarpur but saw most candidates relegated to third place.
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