Prashant Kishor Observes Silent Fast as Nitish Kumar Takes Oath for 10th Time as Bihar CM

Prashant Kishor, founder of Jan Suraaj, observed a silent introspection (Maun Vrat) at Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram in Bihar following his party's unsuccessful performance in the Assembly elections.

The silent fast took place in West Champaran district on Thursday, coinciding with Nitish Kumar's oath-taking ceremony as Chief Minister of Bihar for an unprecedented 10th time, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Kishor had announced his intention to observe this day-long silent fast at Gandhi Bhitiharwa Ashram on November 20. He expressed his commitment to redoubling his efforts for Bihar's development, stating, "I will work twice as hard as you've seen me work over the past three years and put in all my energy. There's no question of backing down. There's no turning back until I fulfil my resolve to make Bihar better."

Kishor accepted full responsibility for Jan Suraaj's electoral failure, explaining, "I failed to explain to the people of Bihar the basis on which they should vote and why they should create a new system. Therefore, as atonement, I will observe a day-long silent fast. We may have made mistakes, but we have not committed any crime."

The recent elections resulted in a decisive victory for the NDA coalition, with the BJP securing 89 seats to become the single-largest party, followed closely by Janata Dal (United) with 85 seats. Jan Suraaj, making its electoral debut, failed to win any seats.

Nitish Kumar's swearing-in ceremony was held at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, a venue that has previously hosted his inaugurations in 2005, 2010, and 2015. This iconic location is also where Jayaprakash Narayan delivered his famous "total revolution" speech in 1974.

The ceremony saw attendance from numerous NDA-ruled state Chief Ministers including Nayab Singh Saini of Haryana, Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland, N Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh, and Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttarakhand.

Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan were also among the notable dignitaries present at the Gandhi Maidan ceremony.