As political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor gears up for the official launch of his political party, Jan Suraaj, on October 2, 2024, he has made it clear that his role will not be one of leadership. Kishor, who has been conducting a grassroots campaign in Bihar over the past two years, aims to address the state’s long-standing political inertia and create a credible alternative to the dominant parties like the BJP and RJD. He emphasised that his objective is not personal political power but the betterment of Bihar’s social and economic landscape.
The Jan Suraaj movement has garnered significant support, with over a crore people involved, and aims to offer a comprehensive political alternative. Kishor plans to release the party’s vision and agenda in early 2025, focusing on addressing key issues like education, employment, and governance. He also expressed a broader dream of making Bihar a state that could attract workers from more prosperous regions like Jharkhand and Haryana, reversing the state’s history of outward migration.
One of the critical challenges that Jan Suraaj seeks to address is what Kishor calls the “political helplessness” of Bihar, where voters have oscillated between voting for BJP and Lalu Prasad’s RJD out of fear rather than conviction. His campaign, which has covered 60% of Bihar’s villages, focuses on mobilising the state’s citizens to form a new political entity driven by collective will rather than individual leadership. Kishor’s vision involves elevating Bihar to be among the top ten states in India by focusing on long-term development strategies in areas like agriculture and local governance.
In a sharp critique of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his party JD(U), Kishor questioned the party’s future, arguing that it is now run by a small circle of advisors rather than elected representatives. This, according to him, has led to an inefficient governance model that has little promise for the state’s future.
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Kishor’s efforts to reshape Bihar’s political landscape are closely tied to his padyatra (foot march), which began on October 2, 2022, from West Champaran, and continues to build momentum as he tours villages to gather support and spread awareness about the need for better governance. While Kishor’s party aims to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections in 2025, he stresses that the larger goal is societal change, urging people to vote for their children’s future rather than under political pressure.
The launch of Jan Suraaj on Gandhi Jayanti symbolizes Kishor’s call for a new political order rooted in collective action, leaving behind the entrenched political dynamics that have governed Bihar for decades.
