'There were some invisible powers at play, polls were rigged': Prashant Kishor after Bihar drubbing

Prashant Kishor

A day after Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party on Saturday dissolved all its organisational units, from the panchayat level to the state level, after its disappointing performance in the recently concluded Bihar assembly polls, Kishore claimed that the election was 'rigged', though he admitted he has no proof to back the charge at this stage.

Speaking to India Today, the political strategist turned politician claimed the voting trends did not match the feedback his team gathered during the months-long Jan Suraaj yatra, adding that he believed "something went wrong".

The party failed to open its account in the Bihar assembly elections, with most of its candidates losing their deposits. The decision to dissolve its organizational units was taken at the party’s national council meeting in Patna, chaired by state president Manoj Bharti, in which Prashant Kishor was also present.

Validating his claims of the polls being rigged during his interview to India Today, Kishor said: "There were some invincible powers at play. Parties that people barely knew ended up with lakhs of votes. Some people are asking me to raise my voice and say the EVMs were manipulated. This is something people allege after losing. I have no proof. But many things don't add up. Prima facie, it appears something went wrong, but we don't know what."

Additionally, the Jan Suraaj founder also accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of distributing money to thousands of women voters in Bihar to manipulate the election outcome.

Kishor also dismissed talks that his political career was over. Answering a question about critics writing his obituary, Kishor shot back: "These are the same people who applauded when I was winning. If they're writing my obituary, it's not about them. It's about what I do next. If I succeed, they will clap again. They are doing their job and I am doing mine. The ones criticising me are the most curious about me. That only shows I am not dead yet. Abhi kahani baki hai (the story is far from over)".