New Delhi: Poll consultant-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has said that he will quit politics if the Nitish Kumar-led government delivers its promise of providing Rs 2 lakh each to 1.5 crore women in the state. His party, Jan Suraaj Party, suffered a debacle in the Assembly election, securing 3.4 percent votes and not a single seat.
Putting up a brave face, he said on Tuesday, “Even though Abhimanyu was killed, that did not win them the Mahabharat. Some people think I’ll abandon Bihar; they’re mistaken. Jansuraj and PK are determined to reform Bihar, and I will continue to reform it. I won’t back down; this is my resolve.” he said.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, PK admitted to mistakes in the Bihar polls, adding, “but we haven’t committed any crime—not getting votes is not a crime. We did not do caste politics or indulge in Hindu-Muslim narratives,” he said. He faced a volley of questions about his earlier remark that if Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) got more than 25 seats, he would quit politics. The JD(U) ended up with 85 seats in the 243-member Assembly.
“What I had said about Nitish Kumar and JD(U)—that they can’t get more than 25 seats—I still stand by it. If Nitish Kumar and his government didn’t buy these votes, (by giving) them Rs 2 lakh each, I will retire from politics altogether,” he said.
“There’s no problem with that. If Nitish is able to give 1.5 crore people of Bihar Rs 2 lakh each then we will admit our estimate was wrong. It was our fault. If unemployment is eliminated from Bihar, migration is stopped, and poverty of 1.5 crore people is eliminated, toh PK ko vidhayak bane ki, rajniti ki koi zaroorat nahi; hum doosra kaam kar sakte hain (then there is no need for PK to become a legislator, I can do some other work),” Prashant Kishor added.
He said he has only one request for the government—to provide women the Rs 2 lakh promised within six months which will help address unemployment and migration. “If not, then it will be clear that this was only to buy votes,” he claimed.
Kishor also released a helpline number asking all those who have received Rs 10,000 each to get in touch with him if they failed to get the promised Rs 2 lakh from the government.
The BJP in its manifesto for Bihar elections had promised to provide Rs 2 lakh to women under the Mahila Rozgaar Yojana but had not specified a timeframe.
As per a statement the government had said: “Under the scheme, each beneficiary will receive an initial grant of Rs 10,000 via Direct Benefit Transfer, with the possibility of additional financial support of up to Rs 2 lakh in subsequent phases. The assistance can be utilised in areas of the choice of the beneficiary, including agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, tailoring, weaving, and other small-scale enterprises.”
Taking full responsibility for the poll debacle, Kishor announced a day-long silent fast at the Bhitaharwa Ashram to atone for it.
Kishor said the party made honest efforts in Bihar, but failed to achieve success. “Forget about systemic change, we couldn’t even bring about a change in power. We must have made some mistakes, which is why the public didn’t trust us.”
Months after exiting a career in political consulting in 2021, Kishor had launched the Jan Suraaj Padyatra on 2 October 2022, covering thousands of villages across Bihar over two years. On 2 October 2024, Kishor launched his Jan Suraaj Party.
“I am responsible for the loss and I take full responsibility. The blame for failing to live up to everyone’s hopes and dreams lies entirely with me. It is a time for introspection.”
The JSP contested 238 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats, and failed to win even a single seat. PK had maintained all along that his party would either be on “arsh” or “farsh”—either win 150 seats or draw a blank.
Kishor’s campaign was centred on migrants: He promised that lakhs of those who came home from other states for chhath would not have to go back for Rs 10,000-12,000 per month if the JSP came to power.
Many have questioned Kishor’s decision to not contest personally. Responding to them, he said: “Imran Khan started his party in Pakistan 25 years ago, contested from seven seats and lost all—so contesting elections is subjective. People can debate whether it would have been beneficial had I contested the election or not.”
“I am ready to accept that I couldn’t understand Bihar. I also accept that I don’t understand how to divide Bihar in the name of caste and religion like Lalu Yadav, Samrat Choudhary and Ashok Choudhary. Trying to improve the state is not a crime, but people are reacting as if I’ve committed one—and you all are here for my postmortem,” he added.
Kishore said for the first time in the history of independent India, the government promised to spend Rs 40,000 crore and this is why the NDA received so many votes.
“For the first time in independent India—especially in Bihar—a government promised to spend Rs 40,000 crore for people, and that is why the NDA secured such a big majority. People are saying voters sold their votes for Rs 10,000. That is not true; people here will not sell their future or their children’s future,” he said.
“There is no end to this debate. Some are alleging wrongdoing by the Election Commission —that is their matter. But in every assembly seat, at least 60,000–62,000 people were given Rs 10,000 and promised a Rs 2 lakh loan. Government officials were on duty telling people they would get the loan if the NDA returned to power, and Jeevika didis were put on duty for this,” he said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Prashant Kishor’s big promises meet Bihar’s reality—loud buzz, votes not loading