'Forget politics, will leave Bihar if...': Prashant Kishor's fresh challenge for Nitish Kumar govt

Prashant Kishor

In the aftermath of the drubbing, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) chief Prashant Kishor on Tuesday posted a fresh challenge publicly for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose party and alliance saw an outstanding victory in the recently held assembly elections.

Kishor accepted responsibility for the party’s disappointing performance but insisted the setback would not force him to retreat from politics.

Instead, he renewed his challenge to the incumbent Nitish Kumar government, declaring that he would “definitely quit politics” if the NDA fulfils its poll promise of transferring Rs 2 lakh each to 1.5 crore women under self-employment schemes.

“If the Nitish government gives Rs 2 lakh to 1.5 crore women, as they promised, I will definitely quit politics,” Kishor said at a press conference. “If they actually implement this scheme, forget politics, I will leave Bihar itself,” he added, India Today reported.

“People are debating my earlier remark on the JD(U) barely crossing 25 seats, I stand by it," Kishor added.

Before the polls, Kishor had said he would retire if the JD(U) won more than 25 seats. Contrary to Kishor’s forecast, the JD(U) won 85 of the 101 seats it contested, while its NDA partner, the BJP, secured 89 seats.

On Tuesday, Kishor dismissed speculation that he was stepping away after the JD(U) crossed the 25-seat threshold he had earlier mentioned. “I did say that if the JD(U) gets more than 25 seats, I would retire from politics. But what post do I even hold that I should resign from?” Kishor said at his press conference. “I never said I would stop speaking for the people. Those who think I will leave Bihar are mistaken,” he added.

Meanwhile, his party failed to even open its account, despite fielding candidates in all 243 constituencies.

“We’ve suffered a setback, yes, but we will learn from it, strengthen ourselves, and return. There is no question of giving up," Kishor maintained.

After the election results were announced, Prashant Kishor accepted responsibility for the Jan Suraaj Party’s poor performance; it failed to win any seats in its maiden contest; but insisted that the setback was temporary. “Today is definitely a jolt, but our victory will certainly come in the future. I will not leave Bihar. The hard work we put in for three years, we will now work twice as hard.”