Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has declared his support for rebel BJP candidate Anup Kumar Srivastava in Bihar’s Gopalganj constituency. This pivotal announcement, made on Friday, October 24, 2025, follows Kishor’s strong allegations that his own party’s nominee, Shashi Shekhar Sinha, was coerced by the saffron party to withdraw from the race.
During a press conference in Gopalganj, Mr. Kishor clarified that endorsing Mr. Srivastava was an “exception” to the Jan Suraaj Party’s standard operating procedure. His year-old party typically refrains from offering tickets to individuals who, disgruntled with their previous affiliations, join Jan Suraaj just before elections.
“Mr. Srivastava, a well-regarded social worker and former district BJP president in Gopalganj, claims his rightful nomination was overlooked in favor of a candidate with significant financial resources,” Mr. Kishor stated. “In this particular constituency, both Mr. Srivastava and the Jan Suraaj Party feel they have been unjustly treated by the BJP.”
Expanding on the withdrawal of his own candidate, Mr. Kishor added, “Sinha initially cited advanced age and declining health, suggesting that at 76, he realized he lacked the stamina for an election campaign. However, I have received credible information indicating that he was pressured into withdrawing by the BJP.”
The Jan Suraaj Party has previously lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission, accusing the BJP of pressuring its candidates to pull out of elections. Mr. Kishor has even presented photographs, allegedly showing his party’s Danapur candidate, Mutru Sah, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Brahmapur nominee, Satya Prakash Tiwari, with BJP’s election in-charge, Dharmendra Pradhan. These images, according to Kishor, serve as proof of high-level involvement in the alleged poaching of his candidates.
While acknowledging that the nomination process is complete and the Jan Suraaj Party symbol cannot be assigned to Mr. Srivastava, Kishor affirmed, “From this point forward, he will be considered a part of the Jan Suraaj family. We will extend our full support to him, despite his status as an independent candidate. We intend to give the BJP a taste of its own medicine.”