Prashant Kishor backs rebel BJP candidate in Gopalganj ahead of Bihar polls

Anup Kumar Srivastava, a social worker and former district BJP president in Gopalganj, reportedly felt sidelined by the BJP despite his claim to contest with sufficient resources

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Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Friday announced support for rebel Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Anup Kumar Srivastava in Bihar’s Gopalganj constituency, alleging that the party’s own nominee, Shashi Shekhar Sinha, withdrew under pressure from the BJP, news agency PTI reported . 

Party nominee withdraws, Jan Suraaj extends support 

Following Sinha’s exit from the Gopalganj Assembly race, Jan Suraaj Party extended its support to Srivastava. At a press conference in Gopalganj, Kishor clarified that Srivastava’s inclusion was an “exception” to the party’s usual rule of not giving tickets to disgruntled members from other parties joining just before elections.

 

Prashant Kishor said Srivastava, a prominent social worker and former district BJP president in Gopalganj, felt sidelined by the BJP despite his claim to contest with sufficient resources. Kishor said that in this case, both Srivastava and the Jan Suraaj Party faced unfair treatment from the BJP.

 

Kishor acknowledged that Srivastava cannot be allotted the Jan Suraaj Party symbol, as the nomination process is over. “Nevertheless, he will now be part of the Jan Suraaj family, and we will fully support him despite his independent status. We want to give the BJP a taste of its own medicine,” Kishor said, reported PTI. He further noted that Shashi Shekhar Sinha stepped back from the race, officially citing age and health reasons. 

BJP accused of candidate poaching 

Earlier, Jan Suraaj Party submitted a representation to the Election Commission accusing the BJP of pressuring its candidates to withdraw. Kishor displayed photographs of the party’s Danapur candidate Mutru Sah with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Brahmapur nominee Satya Prakash Tiwari with BJP in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, suggesting top BJP leaders were involved in poaching Jan Suraaj candidates, reported PTI.

Jan Suraaj’s candidate list updates 

Jan Suraaj Party recently released its second list of candidates for the Bihar polls, naming 65 candidates. The first list, released on October 9, included 51 names. The party has staked claim to all 243 assembly seats in Bihar. 

Bihar Assembly Elections 2025: The battle ahead 

The 2025 Bihar polls will see a battle between the NDA and Mahagathbandhan. 

NDA: BJP, JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), Rashtriya Lok Morcha

Mahagathbandhan: RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPI, CPM, Mukesh Sahani’s VIP 

Bihar will vote on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.