As Bihar heads into high-stakes assembly polls, political strategist-turned-leader Prashant Kishor has drawn high praise from a senior Rajya Sabha member for his bold and unconventional political journey.
Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh lauded Kishor and his Jan Suraaj Party for bringing up critical issues that mainstream political forces have long brushed aside and said that he may win seats in the upcoming Bihar elections.
“Issues that the mainstream parties have not taken up are being raised by the Jan Suraaj Party. However, the fundamental questions that Prashant Kishor and his group are raising will take a long time to resolve. He may get some seats. In past, Left parties like CPI and CPI(M) were strong, and even now, they remain influential. The issues Prashant Kishor has raised are also being voiced by other parties, but not on a large scale,” he said.
Harivansh’s remarks reflect a growing sentiment in Bihar’s political circles: Kishor has succeeded in shifting the narrative.
He further remarked that the Socialist Party, led by Jayaprakash Narayan and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, had significantly influenced public discourse by 1967, despite initially gaining confidence following the 1952 elections.
Historical Political Movement
Drawing an interesting historical parallel, Harivansh compared Prashant Kishor’s movement to the Socialist Party’s early years under Jayaprakash Narayan and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia.
In the 1950s, the Socialist Party didn’t achieve immediate electoral dominance but steadily shaped public discourse. By 1967, its ideas had left a lasting imprint on Indian politics.
“In many places, Jayaprakash Narayan’s assemblies drew larger crowds than ours. In Bihar, we were confident of victory in the 1952 elections. However, the fundamental public issues raised by the Socialist Party, led by Jayaprakash Narayan and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, had a significant impact by 1967. Similarly, the questions raised by Prashant Kishor and his group will require time to resonate widely,” he said.
Bihar Electoral Contest
The polling for the Bihar Assembly elections will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14.
In the seat-sharing arrangement within the NDA, the BJP and JD(U) will be contesting 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party (headed by Ram Vilas) will contest 29 seats. The Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats each.
The main contest will be between the NDA, led by the BJP and Janata Dal (United), and the INDIA alliance, spearheaded by Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The INDIA alliance is aiming to unseat Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who currently leads the NDA in the state.