Patna: Prashant Kishor stated that he has struggled to sleep properly since his party, Jan Suraj, did not secure any seats in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. In an exclusive interview following the results, Kishor acknowledged that the defeat impacted him significantly and has been troubling him for several days. Nevertheless, he emphasized that he will not abandon his political path in Bihar. He believes that one only truly loses when they accept defeat, which he is unwilling to do. Kishor mentioned that Jan Suraj approached the election without focusing on the conventional issues of caste and religion that usually dominate state politics. Instead, the party prioritized matters such as unemployment and migration, which resonate deeply with ordinary citizens.
He categorized Bihar’s voters into four main groups: those who vote based on caste, those who choose based on religion, those who support the NDA out of fear of Lalu Yadav’s return, and those who back the opposition out of fear of the BJP. Kishor feels that Jan Suraj managed to sway the first two groups to some degree but fell short in persuading the latter two. Despite the disappointment, he firmly states that he will not retreat from politics. He likened his circumstances to the early days of the BJP, which initially had only two MPs but eventually grew to become the largest political entity in the country.
Kishor noted that his party did not promote hatred or division during the campaign and will uphold the same principles moving forward. He has spent a decade working in Bihar and intends to continue with the same commitment, regardless of challenges. Kishor candidly addressed the party’s low vote share, admitting he had anticipated Jan Suraj would garner at least 12-15% of the votes but ultimately received just around 3.5%. He acknowledged that he took a significant risk by not conducting election surveys, and the outcome is prompting him to reassess and analyze the missteps.
When questioned about his previous assertion that Nitish Kumar’s JDU would not win more than 25 seats, Kishor remarked that despite the JDU winning 85 seats, a key factor in this unexpected success was the self-employment aid of Rs 10,000 provided to 1.2 crore women shortly before the elections. He asserted that over Rs 100 crore was expended in each of the 243 constituencies, which shifted voter perspectives. Even in the face of this setback, Kishor’s message remains unequivocal: he will not give up. He believes that Jan Suraj’s journey has merely begun and that success will eventually follow through perseverance and effort.
For the time being, he acknowledges the pain of defeat but insists that his resolve to advocate for Bihar is stronger than ever.
