After Bihar poll setback, Prashant Kishor shifts to Patna ashram until next assembly elections

NEW DELHI: Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Wednesday announced that he has moved to an ashram on the outskirts of Patna, where he plans to stay until the next Bihar assembly elections. Speaking to reporters in Darbhanga, Kishor said he vacated his previous residence in Patna on Tuesday night and shifted to the Bihar Navnirman Ashram located near IIT-Patna. He said the ashram would serve as his base until the next round of assembly elections, when the Jan Suraaj Party hopes to strengthen its political presence in the state.

Kishor’s decision comes months after his transition from political strategist to active politician failed to deliver electoral success in Bihar. The Jan Suraaj Party, launched ahead of the assembly elections, did not secure a single seat in the polls. Despite the setback, Kishor indicated that he intends to continue his political campaign and organisational work from the ashram while preparing for future elections in the state.

Until now, Kishor had been operating from Sheikhpura House, a large bungalow situated near Patna airport and owned by the family of Jan Suraaj national president and former BJP MP Uday Singh. The Singh family remains one of the prominent political families in Bihar. Uday Singh’s brother, NK Singh, has served as a Rajya Sabha MP and was formerly the chairman of the 15th Finance Commission. Their late mother, Madhuri Singh, was a senior Congress leader and represented Purnea multiple times as a Member of Parliament.

During his interaction with reporters, Kishor also criticised former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar over the induction of his son into the Bihar cabinet as health minister. Referring to migration and economic conditions in Bihar, Kishor alleged that the leadership had failed to prevent the large-scale movement of people out of the state due to financial distress. He further remarked that political leaders were prioritising family interests over governance and public welfare.

Kishor appealed to voters in Bihar to cast their votes based on long-term public interest rather than caste, religion or financial inducements. He urged people to think about the future of their children while participating in elections and said voters should not be influenced by prominent political leaders or monetary offers during campaigns. He specifically referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad while making his appeal for issue-based voting in the state.