Prashant Kishor launches Jan Suraaj Party ahead of Bihar elections next year
Prashant Kishor also named Manoj Bharti, a Madhubani-born former Indian Foreign Service officer, as working president of the party
Former election strategist Prashant Kishor on Wednesday announced the launch of his political outfit Jan Suraaj Party, two years after he embarked on a campaign in Bihar to mobilise support for a “new political alternative”.
The 47-year-old also named Manoj Bharti, a Madhubani-born former Indian Foreign Service officer, as working president of the party, saying the latter will hold the post till March next year when organisational polls will be held. He also said the party would have “pictures of both Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar” on its emblem and an application to this effect will be sent to the Election Commission.
The development comes ahead of the Bihar assembly elections next year. Kishor made the announcement at Veterinary College Ground in Patna, in the presence of several renowned figures, including former Union minister Devendra Prasad Yadav, diplomat-turned-politician Pavan Varma and former MP Monazir Hassan.
“Jan Suraaj (which he started in 2022) has been a campaign aimed at making the people of Bihar understand that they have not been able to get quality education and job opportunities because they have never voted on these issues. We may be mocked by cynics who will say how we will fulfil promises like putting an end to migration. But we have a blueprint,” Kishor, who has been a strong critic of Janata Dal (United) leader and chief minister Nitish Kumar, said.
“We will need more than ₹5 lakh crore to improve education in the state. We will raise the money by scrapping the prohibition law which is annually causing losses to the tune of ₹20,000 crore. I reiterate that once Jan Suraaj comes to power, the ban on liquor will be scrapped within one hour,” he added.
In his nearly hour-long speech, he underscored that Jan Suraaj would be a party with a difference with provisions in its constitution which were “never before seen in any political outfit”.
He said his party does not need “empty slogans of special status”. “But we will compel banks to make available to the state capital in proportion to savings deposited by its people. At present, it seems money saved by Biharis is being put to use elsewhere,” he said.
Kishor, who has previously worked with parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress, was expelled from Janata Dal (United) in January 2020 for criticising the party’s support for the Citizenship Amendment Act.