In a significant move ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), spearheaded by former political strategist Prashant Kishor, announced its second slate of 65 candidates on Monday, October 13, 2025. This announcement follows closely on the heels of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) revealing its own seat-sharing arrangements among allies.
This latest list brings the total number of JSP candidates for the Assembly election to 116. Notably, 25 of these candidates are slated for reserved seats. Of the remaining 91 general seats, a substantial one-third (31 candidates) have been allocated to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), demonstrating the party’s commitment to proportional representation. Additionally, 21 candidates are from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), another 21 represent minority communities, and the remaining 14 fall under the ‘others’ category.
Addressing the media in Patna, Prashant Kishor reiterated the party’s long-standing promise: “Depending on their population numbers, we are providing proportionate seat representation.” He further emphasized the party’s distinctive approach, stating, “No political party has given this much representation to EBCs yet in their list.” The release event was attended by JSP’s national president Uday Singh, Bihar president Manoj Bharti, and other key party figures.
Adding to the party’s strength, popular EBC leader Ramchandra Sahani, a native of Sugauli in East Champaran district, officially joined the JSP on this occasion. Party leaders indicated that further lists for other constituencies would be unveiled in due course.
The JSP’s initial list, released on October 9, comprised 51 candidates and featured a diverse group including accomplished lawyers, doctors, bureaucrats, and academics. That list allocated 17 seats to the EBC segment, which, according to the 2022 Bihar Caste-Based Survey report, constitutes over 36% of the state’s population. It also included 11 OBC candidates, seven each from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and minority communities, and nine from the General Category.
Regarding his own potential candidacy, Kishor had previously remarked, “It’s for the party to take the final call.” He subsequently launched the JSP’s campaign from Raghopur in Vaishali district, a constituency that has been held by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Tejashwi Yadav for two consecutive terms (2015 and 2020).
Kishor had expressed a personal desire to challenge Tejashwi Yadav in Raghopur. While Yadav, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, has not yet officially declared his constituency, RJD insiders suggest Raghopur remains the most probable choice.
The Raghopur Assembly constituency, situated approximately 35 km from Patna, has historically been a stronghold for the RJD, largely due to its Yadav-dominated population. The area also has a significant upper-caste Rajput presence. Former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi have also represented Raghopur in the past.
The Bihar Assembly consists of a total of 243 members. The upcoming elections are scheduled to take place in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the results to be announced on November 14.