In a significant political move, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor officially announced his backing for rebel BJP candidate Anup Kumar Srivastava in Bihar’s Gopalganj. This decision came on Friday, October 24, 2025, amidst allegations from Kishor that the BJP had pressured his party’s own nominee, Shashi Shekhar Sinha, to withdraw from the electoral race.
During a press conference held in Gopalganj, Kishor emphasized that supporting Mr. Srivastava was an “exception” to the Jan Suraaj Party’s standard operating procedure. His year-old party typically avoids fielding candidates who are disgruntled members from other political organizations, especially those who join just before elections.
Kishor elaborated on Srivastava’s background, noting that he is a prominent social worker and a former district president for the BJP in Gopalganj. Srivastava claims that the BJP leadership ignored his legitimate aspirations for a ticket, instead opting for a candidate with significant financial resources.
In related news, an earlier report by Dipankar suggested that Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party enjoys greater appeal among migrants from Bihar compared to residents within the state itself.
“In this particular constituency,” Kishor asserted, “both Anup Kumar Srivastava and the Jan Suraaj Party have suffered from the BJP’s alleged unfair practices.” He further claimed that Sinha, his party’s candidate, withdrew from the race citing age and health issues, but Kishor maintains, “I have received credible information indicating that Sinha was compelled to step down due to pressure from the BJP.”
It’s worth noting that the Jan Suraaj Party had recently formally complained to the Election Commission, accusing the BJP of coercing its candidates into withdrawing their nominations.
To underscore his claims, Kishor has been publicly showing photographs. These images reportedly depict his party’s Danapur candidate, Mutru Sah, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Brahmapur nominee, Satya Prakash Tiwari, with Dharmendra Pradhan, who is the BJP’s election in-charge. Kishor uses these photographs to suggest that senior BJP leaders are directly involved in orchestrating the defection of his candidates.
Kishor admitted that since the nomination period has concluded, the Jan Suraaj Party cannot officially assign its symbol to Srivastava. However, he declared, “Moving forward, Anup Kumar Srivastava will be considered part of the Jan Suraaj family, and he will receive our complete support, even as an independent candidate. Our intention is to retaliate against the BJP using their own tactics.”
Photo Caption: Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor addresses the media ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls in Gopalganj, Bihar. (Photo Credit: PTI)