Prashant Kishor's prediction for Jan Suraaj, NDA and Mahagathbandhan in Bihar: 'No middle ground in this election'

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor. (File: PTI)

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has said that the Jan Suraaj Party will contest all 243 seats on its own and will finish "either first or last" in the coming Assembly elections in Bihar.

In his prediction for all stakeholders in the Bihar polls, Kishor said that the BJP is set to suffer some setbacks while the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) would be reduced to less than 25 seats in the 243-member Assembly while the Mahagathbandhan alliance of Opposition parties will finish third.

In the 2020 Bihar elections, the RJD emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats while the BJP came in a close second with 74 seats. The JD(U) suffered a major setback as its tally reduced from 71 in 2015 to 43 in 2020.

According to Kishor, "Jan Suraaj Party will either be first or last, but there in no middle ground in this election."

Speaking to NDTV, Kishor further said that his party will contest the elections on all 243 seats on its own and also refused the possibility of an alliance with any party.

The former election strategist, who has accused top BJP ministers in the state of wrong-doings, also took shots at JD(U) leader and Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary. "I have accused him of corruption worth Rs 200 crore rupee. Ashok Choudhary should say whether he bought land or not. And if he did, why did he buy it in the name of his PA (personal assistant)?" Kishor said and asked whether the JD(U) leader was above the law.

In a swipe at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, with whom he has worked closely as party vice-president, said the leader himself used to say that party leaders facing serious allegations should explain and resign.

"But Nitish Kumar is no longer able to control the state's administration. Nitish Kumar may not be a bad person, but leaders and officers around him are looting. If Nitish is not a thief, then who is stealing?" Kishor asked.

Kishor further said that he would decide in a few days whether or not he would personally contest the elections but ruled out any possibility of a family member participating in the polls.

Kishor also rejected the Bihar government's scheme to give financial aid of Rs 10,000 to women in the poll-bound state and termed it a simple bribe, not a game-changer.

He alleged Kumar compromised with corruption and crime, and cited the murder charges against leaders like Samrat Chaudhary and Dilip Jaiswal, saying they were the faces of power today.