‘If you vote for Jan Suraaj, no one will ...’: Prashant Kishor's promise to Bihar ahead of election

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has announced its intention to contest all 243 assembly seats, positioning itself as an alternative to both traditional alliances.

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, on Saturday, promised that if his party comes to power in Bihar, people will no longer need to migrate out of the state for jobs.

Addressing an election rally in Sitamarhi, Kishor said Jan Suraaj will ensure employment opportunities within Bihar and build a government “of the people.”

“If you vote for Jan Suraaj, all those who have come home for Chhath will never go outside Bihar for employment. The youth of Bihar want employment in Bihar itself. A people's government is going to be formed in Bihar,” he said, urging voters to back his party in the upcoming assembly elections.

A day earlier, Kishor had launched a sharp attack on the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government, accusing it of failing to create opportunities for Bihar’s youth. He drew a stark comparison between the development models of Bihar and Gujarat, criticising what he described as misplaced priorities.

“A bullet train worth rs 1 lakh crore is being built in Gujarat, whereas the youth of Bihar are struggling to get a seat in the train to come home for Chhath,” Kishor told reporters on Friday.

He also referred to Sitamarhi as the birthplace of his movement, saying it was where the Jan Suraaj Party was conceived three and a half years ago.

“This is the janmabhoomi of Jan Suraaj, where the party came into being 3.5 years ago. We resolved that we will end the political bonded labour of the people of Bihar, where they vote for the BJP when they fear Lalu, and vice versa,” Kishor said.

“In the coming 10–15 days, people need to decide whether they want to continue with the existing arrangement or whether they want to bring about a change,” he added.

Meanwhile, in a significant development, independent candidate Anup Kumar Srivastava from Gopalganj officially joined the Jan Suraaj Party in Kishor’s presence on Friday. The move came after Jan Suraaj’s candidate Shashi Shekhar Sinha withdrew his nomination from the Gopalganj assembly constituency. The party has now extended its full support to Srivastava for the upcoming elections.

The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections are shaping up to be a direct contest between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan.

The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The opposition Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), includes the Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Dipankar Bhattacharya, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has announced its intention to contest all 243 assembly seats, positioning itself as an alternative to both traditional alliances.

Bihar will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.