PRASHANT KISHOR'S JAN SURAJ RATTLES NDA IN BIHAR

With relentless disclosures, Kishor’s movement forces NDA leaders into defensive clarifications.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Jan Suraj founder Prashant Kishor

In Bihar’s fiercely contested political arena, where elections are expected to be announced in the coming week, it is not the opposition Grand Alliance but newcomer Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj that has rattled the NDA’s top leadership with a series of forensic, document-backed allegations—turning political skirmishes into a high-stakes test of credibility for the ruling camp.

Each allegation has been accompanied by files, dates and names—a departure from the usual sloganeering of Bihar’s opposition politics—forcing the ruling camp into issuing clarification after clarification, often with limited impact.

In the initial phase of his campaign, Kishor’s attacks were directed not only at the ruling NDA but also at the RJD, questioning its governance record, corruption cases and dynastic politics. This positioned Jan Suraj as a third force, distinct from both the government and the traditional opposition. At the time, the Grand Alliance leaders publicly dismissed Kishor as the “B Team of the BJP,” accusing him of running a covert strategy to divide the anti-NDA vote. That label has since been overturned as Kishor’s campaign has grown sharper and more targeted against the NDA’s state leadership.