Patna: The Jan Suraaj Party has claimed that the recent Bihar Assembly elections were significantly affected by fear tactics and financial incentives. Party leaders and candidates met in Patna on Sunday to evaluate their electoral performance and discuss ways to strengthen the party. During the meeting at Sheikhpura House, state president Manoj Bharti asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tried to influence voters by offering Rs 10,000 to women while instilling fears of a return to “jungle raj.” Party coordinator Prashant Kishor also attended the meeting. Candidates noted that even with the Model Code of Conduct in place, payments continued to be made to women’s accounts.
There were rumors of post-election payments totaling Rs 2 lakh, which they claimed disrupted the election message and weakened their campaigns. The party stated that Jeevika volunteers acted as proxies for the ruling coalition, visiting homes to solicit votes for the NDA, guiding women on candidate serial numbers at polling stations, and sometimes pressing EVM buttons for elderly voters. Additionally, the party alleged that outsiders were sent to several districts to disseminate warnings that voting for Jan Suraaj would bring back a 20-year “jungle raj,” exploiting local fears related to illiteracy, unemployment, and migration. They contended that these strategies led to a sharp decline in their vote share. Notable attendees at the meeting included mathematician K.C.
Sinha, former MLA Kishore Kumar Munna, former Legislative Councilor Rambali Chandravanshi, along with other senior party leaders and National Council members.
