PK's party creates buzz in Seemanchal, but will it convert to votes?

KISHANGANJ: In Bihar’s Seemanchal region—comprising Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia and Katihar districts — with the highest concentration of Muslim voters in the state, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) has set its eyes on the minorities’ votes as a challenging prize in the upcoming assembly polls.

- Sanjeev K Jha

Kishor’s pitch for governance over identity is testing whether the minority-dominant region, that has long rallied behind the RJD-Congress combine, was ready to back a non-Muslim new entrant.

The region had backed Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the 2020 assembly polls, with the party winning five of the region's 24 seats. Muslims make up nearly 70% of the population in Kishanganj, while in Araria, Katihar and Purnia, the proportion hovers around 40-45%.

Abu Zafar (35), an entrepreneur in Kishanganj, said that over the past few months, Kishor has made Seemanchal the centrepiece of his campaign. “His meetings in Araria, Jokihat and Kishanganj have drawn sizeable crowds, many of them young and curious. His message to Muslim voters is straightforward: development, education and representation. Its early list of candidates features a noticeable number of Muslim nominees, signalling that the party wants to give minorities a direct voice rather than rely on alliances, He has generated our faith in his model of ‘inclusive local leadership’, but I am not sure whether it will be translated into votes for JSP on November Il,” he said.

ISP's challenge, however, is formidable as Seemanchal’s political loyalties are deeply entrenched, and in many parts of the region, allegiance is mediated by local clerics, traders, and mukhiyas.