'Take all blame': Prashant Kishor reacts to Bihar poll debacle
What's the story
Jan Suraaj party chief Prashant Kishor, in his first reaction after the Bihar poll debacle, accepted full responsibility for his party's defeat. The party failed to win a single seat. Speaking in Patna, Kishor admitted that the results were due to his shortcomings and inability to win over voters. "If the public did not show faith in us, then the responsibility for that is completely mine," he said.
Admission and atonement
Kishor acknowledges mistakes, vows to rectify them
Kishor called the campaign an "honest effort" but admitted it was completely unsuccessful. He said there must have been some mistake in their efforts and thinking. "We tried very positively from our end. We tried a lot from our end, but it seems we failed somewhere. I take all the blame on myself as I failed to let people understand. We will do our introspection. I am sorry I failed in our efforts," he said.
Followers
Kishor to observe 'maun upvas' for a day
To atone for his failure to convince voters about a new political alternative, Kishor announced a maun upvas (vow of silence) for a day. He will observe this fast at the Gandhi Bhitiharwa Ashram on November 20th. While his party's campaign strategy may have failed, he said they never crossed ethical lines. "We have not committed the crime of spreading caste-based poison in society... We have not played Hindu-Muslim politics in Bihar," he said.
Future plans
Kishor vows to rebuild party after setback
He stressed that the Bihar verdict must be respected and now lies with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar to fulfill their poll promises. Kishor also vowed that Jan Suraaj will rectify its mistakes and come back stronger. "Received setback but will rectify mistakes, build ourselves, come back stronger; no going back for us," he said. Kishor's party contested all 238 of the state's 243 assembly seats.