Prashant Kishor Commits in Writing: No Pre or Post-Election Alliances for Jan Suraaj Party in Bihar

Prashant Kishor's handwritten note that he will not forge an alliance before and after the election

Patna:

Jan Suraaj Party will not form alliances with any political party before or after the Bihar election, declared its leader Prashant Kishor at the Bihar Power Play conclave in Patna today. He even provided this commitment in writing. Kishor was engaged in conversation with NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Managing Editor Padmaja Joshi, and NDTV's Bihar bureau chief Prabhakar Kumar.

When asked to estimate how many seats Jan Suraaj might secure in its first election, Kishor responded, "I see 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 prolonged phase of hopelessness." He further stated that Jan Suraaj would either win fewer than 10 seats or more than 150 seats.

Responding to a question about potential post-election alliances if Jan Suraaj emerges as a kingmaker, he asserted, "We don't engage in politics of taking sides. If people don't give us a mandate, we will continue our work. I can give it to you in writing, neither an alliance before the polls, nor after the polls." At this point, NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal challenged Kishor to actually "give it in writing," referencing the poll strategist's frequent use of this phrase when making predictions during interviews.

When questioned about considering an alliance in case of a hung assembly or fractured mandate, Kishor admitted, "If a situation arises where government formation is impossible without us, I know people will switch sides. I won't be able to prevent that." He attributed this to the "lure of Lakshmi (money) and fear of (central agency) CBI."

"Hypothetically, if Jan Suraaj has 30 MLAs and these 30 are crucial for government formation, will the MLAs follow my guidance? But I can assure you that I will maintain my integrity," he stated. Indirectly accusing the BJP of horse-trading, he challenged, "Get it written by Amit Shah too that if the NDA falls short of a majority, no MLAs will be bought or pressured. You're asking if we won't sell, ask those who intend to buy."

Earlier in the conversation, Kishor discussed the difference between his experience as a poll strategist and actually contesting elections. "Here too I am helping others contest. The only difference is that I have created a new formation to execute this. Previously, I worked with established formations," he explained.

When NDTV referenced Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal's victory over incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the 2013 Delhi polls, Kishor replied, "It's good that you acknowledge Arvind Kejriwal and I are different, our political approaches differ. Also, Bihar's Chief Minister isn't contesting the polls; Sheila Dikshit was. If I contested against Tejashwi (in Raghopur), some would claim I'm challenging a backward leader."