Prashant Kishor Predicts Jan Suraaj Will Win Either Under 10 or Over 150 Seats in Bihar Election

According to Prashant Kishor, when statistics take a back seat, that's when the last leap of faith occurs.

At NDTV's Bihar Power Play Conclave today, poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, leader of Jan Suraaj Party, stated that his party will either secure fewer than 10 seats or more than 150 seats in the upcoming Bihar election. Kishor engaged in conversation with NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Managing Editor Padmaja Joshi, and senior Bihar bureau chief Prabhakar Kumar.

When asked to predict how many seats Jan Suraaj might win in its electoral debut, he responded that leaders are typically expected to express confidence in victory. "I can identify two possibilities. People have recognized Jan Suraaj as an alternative, but voting requires a leap of faith. People need this leap of faith because of the extended period of hopelessness," Kishor explained, adding that Jan Suraaj would secure either fewer than 10 or exceed 150 seats.

When questioned about his decision not to run in the election, he clarified, "I never announced that I would contest the election from even a single seat. I mentioned that if I were to contest, I would do so from Kargahar. I'm not the X factor."

"When votes are counted on November 14, will success be measured by Jan Suraaj winning seats or by whether I contested? The perception exists that there is no alternative to the Mahagathbandhan or the NDA in Bihar. Perception is one thing, fact is another. Numbers indicate that one-third of Bihar's population wants to vote for neither the alliance nor the NDA. I believe Jan Suraaj will participate in a triangular contest in at least 160-170 seats," he added.