BIHAR POLITICS AND PRASHANT KISHORE: NEW BET OF JAN SURAJ

23-JULY-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-------------------------------The arrival of Prashant Kishore in Bihar politics is the beginning of a new and interesting chapter. After making his mark as a successful election strategist, he has now presented himself as a player in Bihar politics. His 'Jan Suraj' campaign has challenged the traditional caste-based politics of Bihar and focused on issues like development, education and employment.

Bihar politics has been revolving around casteism, familyism and corridors of power for decades. Prashant Kishore is claiming to break this 'trend'. He is continuously reaching the villages and panchayats of Bihar through his padayatra and is directly communicating with the public. His main objective is to convince the people that instead of caste, they should vote on issues that are related to their and their children's future.

Prashant Kishore is prominently raising the lack of development during the reign of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar. He is reminding voters why Bihar has lagged behind in the last 35 years and why migration has become a big problem. His strategy is to unite the people of Bihar on the agenda of development by rising above caste and religion.

The 'Jan Suraj' campaign has now been transformed into a political party and it is preparing to contest all 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. Prashant Kishore has clearly said that 90% of the tickets in his party will be given to people who have never contested elections before. Its aim is to bring clean image and new faces into politics.

He also has some big announcements, such as giving a monthly pension of Rs 2000 to every person above 60 years of age and abolishing the liquor ban law, which he considers a major reason for the increase in crime.

There are many big challenges in Prashant Kishore's way. Caste equations are the backbone of politics in Bihar and it will not be easy to break it. Apart from this, building a strong organizational structure is also a big challenge for his party. In some by-elections, his party has been seen as a 'vote cutter', which is a big threat.

Despite this, Prashant Kishore's campaign has created a new stir in Bihar politics. The crowd gathering in his rallies is an indication that the people of Bihar want change. Now it remains to be seen whether Prashant Kishore will be able to move from his role of a strategist to the role of a successful politician, and whether 'Jan Suraj' will be able to change the equation of Bihar politics.