'Will quit politics...': Prashant Kishor says JD(U) will not get more than 25 seats in Bihar Assembly polls

Prashant Kishor

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday predicted that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) would not get more than 25 seats in the upcoming assembly polls to be held later this year.

His remarks came while addressing a gathering in Kishanganj district. Making a big statement, Kishor said he would retire from politics if Nitish Kumar’s party crossed the mark of 25 in the Assembly polls.

“I will quit politics if JD(U) gets beyond 25 seats in the election,” he was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.

He cited the example of his prediction for the West Bengal polls in 2021. At that time, Kishor had claimed that BJP would not win more than 100 seats. The saffron party was limited to 77 seats.

Meanwhile, Kishor has also advocated for an alliance between Muslims and Hindus who are “Gandhians, Ambedkarites, communists and socialists”.

"In this country, Hindus are 80 per cent, and the BJP got only 40 per cent. This means that half of the Hindus don't vote for the BJP. You people have to recognise who doesn't vote for the BJP. They are Hindus who follow Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar, communism, and socialism. Jan Suraaj believes that if these Hindus and 20 per cent Muslim join hands, we can fight the long battle," Kishor said.

He further criticised AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi over the latter's position that Muslims must fight alone to defeat the BJP. He said that Jan Suraaj believes in fighting together with Hindus who are ideologically motivated to defeat the ruling party in the centre.

"This is the difference between Owaisi sahib and Jan Suraaj. Owaisi is my friend. He wants Muslim to fight alone with the BJP. But I want your support and that of Hindus who are ideologically inclined to ally with you," Kishor said, adding that Mahatma Gandhi's ideology was the only way to defeat the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) ideology.