Prashant Kishor rules out contesting Bihar polls
What's the story
Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has announced that he will not be contesting the upcoming Bihar elections. Instead, he will focus on organizational work for his party, Jan Suraaj, which is making a poll debut in this election. "It was a decision we took in the larger interest of the party. If I were to contest, it would have distracted me from the necessary organizational work," Kishor told PTI.
Candidate
Kishor predicts win on 150 seats
Last night, Jan Suraaj announced Chanchal Singh as its candidate for the Raghopur Assembly seat, making it apparent that Kishor will not run in the poll. Kishor had earlier stated that if he contests the elections, he will do so from Kargahar, his native constituency, or Raghopur, an RJD stronghold. Kishor has set an ambitious target for his party, saying anything less than 150 seats would be a "defeat."
Political criticism
Kishor slams JD(U), INDIA bloc infighting
He also predicted a certain defeat for the ruling NDA in Bihar and said that the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) will struggle to win even 25 seats. "The NDA is definitely on its way out," he said. Kishor also took a dig at the JD(U), recalling how Chirag Paswan's revolt in the last assembly polls caused Kumar's party to crash to 43 seats. He said, "You do not need to be a psephologist to fathom what's in store for the JD(U)."
Election schedule
Bihar Assembly elections in 2 phases
He also said that the situation is no better in the INDIA bloc either. "There is a never-ending tiff between RJD and the Congress. And nobody knows if former state minister Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party is still by their side," claimed Kishor. The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11. The results will be announced on November 14.