Prashant Kishor’s first reaction to Bihar poll debacle: ‘Made an honest effort…’

Prashant Kishor

In his first reaction following his party's big loss in Bihar Assembly polls, Jan Suraaj party chief Prashant Kishor said he made an honest effort, but it turned out to be completely unsuccessful.

Taking complete responsibility for the loss, the election strategist-turned-politician apologised to the people of the state.

“We made an honest effort, but it was completely unsuccessful. There's no harm in admitting this. Forget about systemic change, we couldn't even bring about a change in power. But, we certainly played some role in changing Bihar's politics,” he said on Tuesday.

“There must have been some mistake in our efforts, in our thinking, in the way we explained that the public had not elected us. If the public did not show faith in us, then the responsibility for that is completely mine. I take that responsibility 100% on myself, that I could not win the faith of the people of Bihar,” he added.

Kishor admitted that he could not effectively explain to Bihar’s voters the criteria for choosing Jan Suraaj's leaders or the rationale behind establishing a new system. As a result, he said, he would observe 'maun upvaas' (silent fast) for a day on November 20.

“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 20,” Kishor said.

"We may have made mistakes, but we have not committed any crime. We have not committed the crime of spreading caste-based poison in society. We have not played Hindu-Muslim politics in Bihar. We have not committed the crime of dividing people in the name of religion. We have not committed the crime of giving money to the poor, innocent people of Bihar and buying their votes," he said.

Jan Suraaj, which had projected itself as a dark horse in the high-stakes election, contested 238 seats but failed to open its account, managing only 3.44% of the vote. In 68 constituencies, its candidates even polled fewer votes than NOTA.