Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor officially launched his political party, Jan Suraaj Party, in Patna on Wednesday, marking a pivotal moment in his career shift. During the launch, Kishor revealed that the party had been operational for two years and recently received approval from the Election Commission of India.
“Jan Suraaj campaign is going on for 2-3 years. People are asking when we will be forming the party. We all must thank God, today the Election Commission has officially accepted Jan Suraaj as Jan Suraaj Party,” Kishor said. This marks a significant milestone in his political journey after years of strategising for other parties across India.
Kishor’s agenda for Bihar is clear: an overhaul of the education system. He emphasised that Bihar requires Rs 5 lakh crore over the next decade to establish a world-class education system. He also pledged to end Bihar’s liquor ban, arguing that the current loss of Rs 20,000 crore annually due to the ban could be redirected toward education and development. “When the liquor ban will be removed, that money won’t go into the budget and will not be used for the security of leaders, nor it will be used for roads, water and electricity. That will be used only for building a new education system in Bihar.”
As Kishor prepares to contest all constituencies in Bihar’s upcoming assembly elections, his commitment to transforming the state is evident. He envisions a Bihar that becomes an employment hub rather than one that sees its youth migrate for work. He elaborated on this vision during the launch event, expressing his dream of building a state where people from other parts of India come to work in Bihar, reversing decades of migration trends.
In his speech, Kishor also addressed the political stagnation in Bihar, where voters have often been caught between two major forces—Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—both of which, according to him, have failed to provide viable alternatives. “At the beginning of the Jan Suraaj campaign, it was said that an important aim of this is to end the political helplessness under which in the last 25-30 years people voted for the BJP out of fear for Lalu Prasad out of fear for the BJP due to the lack of any alternative.”
In an effort to ensure inclusivity, Kishor announced that 40 out of the 243 candidates fielded by his party in the 2025 elections will be women. He also committed to releasing the party’s agenda in early 2025, which will outline a comprehensive vision for the state’s development. “The blueprint and vision for Bihar will be launched. These are important steps.”
Despite his ambitions, Kishor has faced criticism from some political figures. Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary took a dig at Kishor, suggesting that while he follows Mahatma Gandhi’s policies, his decisions contradict Gandhian ideals. “As far as we know Prashant Kishor, he has been managing political parties till date, but unfortunately, he did not get a second chance in the parties he managed. Today his expansionist soul has awakened which wants to do politics… He has named (the party) ‘Jan-Suraj’.”
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Prashant Kishor’s move from a background role as a political strategist to launching his party is being watched closely by both critics and supporters. His party’s fresh approach, combined with his promise to address Bihar’s pressing issues, places Jan Suraaj in the spotlight ahead of the 2025 elections. Kishor’s challenge will be converting the years of strategizing experience into a winning formula for his newly launched political endeavour.