Patna: A day after experiencing a total defeat in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj accused the ruling National Democratic Alliance of ‘buying’ its victory through various pre-poll cash distributions, including the notable ‘Das Hazari’ initiative for women. At a press conference in Patna, Jan Suraaj national president Uday Singh, also known as Pappu Singh, stated that the NDA had gained ‘illegitimately’ from the transfer of Rs 10,000 to 12.1 million women. ‘This was the first instance where money under a welfare program was given to voters during an election. However, the Election Commission took no action. This is troubling for our democracy,’ Singh remarked.
He claimed that the state government allocated Rs 40,000 crore from the treasury for cash distributions from June until the election day and even utilized a Rs 14,000 crore World Bank loan to finance these efforts. Singh contended that such actions distorted the electoral balance and cautioned that they could have enduring implications for electoral integrity. The Jan Suraaj leader also recognized the party’s inability to persuade anti-RJD voters that it could prevent Lalu Prasad’s party from regaining power. ‘There were voters who were determined to prevent the RJD and what they term its Jungleraj from returning.
Unfortunately, they did not view Jan Suraaj as sufficiently strong to challenge the RJD, leading them to vote for the NDA instead,’ he stated. Jan Suraaj had aimed for a vote share of approximately 15% but achieved less than 4%, according to Election Commission statistics. ‘We are astonished and disheartened by the low outcome. A significant factor was the fear of an RJD resurgence among voters,’ Singh added.
When asked about Prashant Kishor’s previous assertion that he would exit politics if the JD(U) secured over 25 seats, Singh mentioned that only Kishor could clarify but hinted that the remark was made ‘before the cash transfers to voters, which significantly altered the situation.’ Singh also noted that a blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10 had influenced voter sentiments in the Seemanchal region, where the second phase of polling occurred the next day. However, he refuted claims that Jan Suraaj had attributed its defeat to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). ‘If only four lakh out of 42 lakh names removed from voter lists were noteworthy, it was not a major factor,’ he stated.
He also admitted that the party had foreseen the chance of a surprising outcome. ‘Prashant and I had mentioned that we could either excel or fail completely. We ended up with nothing. People likely did not take the leap of faith we expected.’ State president Manoj Bharti affirmed that the party would not withdraw from public engagement. ‘We will persist with our movement and adhere to our established course. Jan Suraaj will reconnect with its supporters and strive to fortify the organization.’
