JAN SURAAJ MAKES BOTH NDA, I.N.D.I.A UNEASY IN BIHAR

The name Jan Suraaj' has now reached the village level.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

While all established political parties in Bihar have publicly refused to acknowledge any political danger from election consultant-turned-politician Prashant Kishor Pandey, privately, the possible impact of "Jan Suraaj," the political movement that is set to be launched as a political party on 2 October, has created concerns at various levels among party leaders, both in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the I.N.D.I.A bloc.

Kishor, often described as the "B team" of BJP by his detractors due to his alleged closeness to top BJP leadership, has made conscious efforts to focus on voters from the forward community and women voters, who are seen as core supporters of the BJP and its ally, Janata Dal (United).

According to people aware of the development, Jan Suraaj will give tickets to at least 40 women candidates, one for each of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Kishor has already announced that Jan Suraaj will contest all 243 Assembly seats in the state, where every caste and community mostly votes for symbols that seem to be promoting their own caste.

The state is scheduled to go to the polls in October next year, unless Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decides to postpone it depending on the election results in the upcoming elections in four states (Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Delhi). Sources said that reports suggesting Jan Suraaj will field at least 70 Muslim candidates (which will amount to almost 29% of its total candidates), whom the RJD and Congress consider their voters, were "speculative," and these matters will become clear on 2 October when the party's constitution is launched.