Prashant Kishor Takes Responsibility for Bihar Election Loss, Challenges JDU to Fulfill Rs 2 Lakh Promise

Prashant Kishor has clarified he will not be stepping away from politics at this time.

Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor has taken a 'maun upvas' (vow of silence) following his party's disappointing performance in the recent Bihar Assembly elections. Speaking to the media, Kishor accepted complete responsibility for the poor electoral showing.

"We made positive efforts from our side. Unfortunately, we failed to change the current government. Despite our extensive efforts, we seem to have fallen short somewhere. I take full responsibility as I was unable to effectively communicate our message to the people. We will conduct an internal assessment. I apologize for our unsuccessful attempt. I will observe a day-long 'maun upvas'," the former strategist-turned-politician stated.

Kishor's Jan Suraaj contested 238 of Bihar's 243 Assembly seats but failed to secure any victories. The incumbent NDA coalition, led by BJP and Nitish Kumar's JDU, won decisively with 202 seats (BJP claiming 89 and JDU 85), while Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) emerged as another significant contributor with 19 seats.

"We made a sincere effort, but it was completely unsuccessful. I openly acknowledge this. We couldn't even achieve a change in government, let alone systemic reform. Nevertheless, we did play some role in transforming Bihar's political landscape. There must have been errors in our approach, our thinking, or how we communicated our message that resulted in voters not electing us. If the public didn't place their trust in us, that responsibility lies entirely with me," he admitted.

Kishor has made it clear he isn't quitting politics yet, despite his pre-election statement that he would leave politics if JDU won more than 25 seats. However, he has now made another conditional promise: to retire from politics if the ruling government fulfills its alleged pre-election promise of providing Rs two lakh each to 1.5 crore people.

"We will return with the same determination. Those who think I will abandon Bihar are mistaken. You're not defeated until you surrender. Regarding my comment about JDU winning 25 seats - I maintain that position. If Nitish Kumar transfers the Rs 2 lakh he promised to 1.5 crore women, proving he didn't secure victory by purchasing votes, I will retire from politics unconditionally," he declared.

Rejecting allegations that voters sold their votes, Kishor explained, "That's inaccurate. For the first time in independent India, particularly in Bihar, a government promised to allocate Rs 40,000 crore for citizens, which is why the NDA achieved such a substantial majority. The people here wouldn't compromise their future or their children's future. This debate has no conclusion. Some are claiming impropriety by the Election Commission - that's their concern. But in every Assembly constituency, approximately 60,000 to 62,000 individuals received Rs 10,000 and were promised a Rs two lakh loan. Government officials were deployed to inform people they would receive the loan if the NDA returned to power, and Jeevika didis were assigned this task."