Prashant Kishor says will not contest Bihar polls, will focus on party work

On the prospects of his party, Prashant Kishor stated that he was certain that the contest would either be a huge win or a total debacle for the Jan Suraaj party

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Wednesday said he will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The poll strategist-turned-politician told news agency PTI that he would instead focus on strengthening his party’s organisational base.

“No, I won’t contest. The party has decided. I will continue to do the work I have been doing in the party. I will continue with the organisational work for the larger interest of the party,” Kishor told PTI.

 

The 48-year-old said a “tally of less than 150 seats” for Jan Suraaj would be considered a defeat. “If the Jan Suraaj Party wins the Bihar polls, it will have a nationwide impact. The compass of national politics will point in a different direction,” he said.

On his party’s prospects in the Bihar elections, Kishor added, “I can say with certainty that we will either win handsomely or receive a drubbing. I have been stating on record that I expect a tally of either fewer than 10 seats or more than 150 seats. There is no possibility of anything in between.”

 

Bihar Assembly elections: Polling on Nov 6, 11

 

The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results to be declared on November 14. The last date for filing nominations for the first phase is October 17, while candidates for the second phase must file nominations by October 20. Eligible voters can be added to the electoral rolls until the last date for nomination. The term of the current 243-member Bihar Assembly ends on November 22.

Last month, the Election Commission released the final electoral roll, showing 74.2 million registered voters in the state as of September 30. Of these, 1.4 million are first-time voters.

 

AAP releases second list of 48 candidates

 

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its second list of 48 candidates for the state elections. According to the list released on Tuesday, Prem Prapt Singh will contest from Chapra, Rajendra Prasad Singh from Lalganj, Aditya Lal from Purnia, and Inderjeet Jyotikar from Hathua. The party had earlier released its first list of 11 candidates.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also named 71 candidates in its first list. Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha will contest from Tarapur and Lakhisarai constituencies, respectively. Former deputy chief ministers Renu Devi and Tarkishore Prasad have been fielded from Bettiah and Katihar.