Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor undertakes silent fast at Mahatma Gandhi's Bhitiharwa Ashram in Bihar

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor

Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Thursday undertook a day-long silent fast, following the drubbing received by his Jan Suraaj Party in the recently held Bihar assembly polls.

Kishor visited the Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran district, set up by Mahatma Gandhi about a century ago, for his "maun upvaas", according to a statement issued here by the Jan Suraaj Party.

Notably, Kishor, who is known to have great admiration for Mahatma Gandhi, had chosen the same spot three years ago for launching a 3,500 km-long "pada yatra" that culminated in the formation of Jan Suraaj Party on Gandhi Jayanti last year.

The development came as Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister of the State for a historic 10th time in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other NDA leaders.

Earlier, in a press conference on Tuesday, Kishor had announced that he will observe a day-long silent fast at the Gandhi Bhitiharwa Ashram on November 20.

He said, "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."

"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 at the Gandhi Bhitiharwa Ashram on November 20th. We may have made mistakes, but we have not committed any crime," Jan Suraaj founder, added.

The ruling NDA swept the polls, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finishing a close second with 85. Jan Suraaj, making its debut in electoral politics, could not win even a single seat.

The swearing-in ceremony on Nitish Kumar took place at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, which has hosted his inaugurations in 2005, 2010, and 2015. It is at this venue that Jayaprakash Narayan called for "total revolution" during a speech in 1974.

Various Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states were also present at the oath-taking ceremony. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, among others, were present.

Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan, among others, participated in the ceremony at Gandhi Maidan.

With agency inputs