Prashant Kishor draws praise from Rajya Sabha deputy chairman ahead of Bihar polls: ‘He may get some seats’

Polling for Bihar Assembly elections will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14

Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, in a recent interaction, said that Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party is raising issues overlooked by mainstream parties.

“Issues that have not been taken up by the mainstream parties are being raised by the Jan Suraaj Party. However, the fundamental questions that Prashant Kishor and his group are raising will take a long time to resolve,” he told ANI, adding that he may get some seats.

Singh said the issues being raised by Kishor are being voiced by several other parties but not on a large scale.

He noted that the Socialist Party, under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, began shaping public discourse by 1967, even though it had only started gaining confidence after the 1952 elections.

Drawing a comparison with Prashant Kishor’s group, he said their issues, too, would take time to find broader acceptance, recalling how Jayaprakash Narayan’s rallies once attracted far larger crowds than others.

"In many places, Jayaprakash Narayan's assemblies drew larger crowds than others. The fundamental public issues raised by the Socialist Party, led by Jayaprakash Narayan and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, had a significant impact by 1967. Similarly, the questions raised by Prashant Kishor and his group will require time to resonate widely," he said.

Polling for Bihar Assembly elections will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14.

In the seat-sharing arrangement within the NDA, the BJP and JD(U) will be contesting 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party (headed by Ram Vilas) will contest 29 seats. The Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats each.