Manish Kashyap joins Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj months after quitting BJP ahead of Bihar polls

Social media influencer Manish Kashyap on Monday joined Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj party in Patna, months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. He joined the party in the presence of Kishor along with a group of supporters. This development comes nearly a month after Kashyap resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Kashyap had joined the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but was not given a ticket to contest. In June 2025, he released a video message announcing his resignation from the party. He alleged that the BJP had "used" him for political campaigns, particularly during the Delhi Assembly polls, and later left him out of further plans.

Kashyap has a significant digital following, with close to one crore subscribers on his YouTube channel. He first gained national attention after being arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police a few years ago for allegedly circulating fake videos showing mistreatment of Bihari migrants in the state. His arrest drew reactions from different quarters, especially in Bihar.

The Jan Suraaj party, led by Prashant Kishor, has been allotted the election symbol "school bag" by the Election Commission of India. The party plans to field candidates in all 243 constituencies in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. Leaders of the party stated that the symbol represents their commitment to reform and inclusive development.

The Bihar Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in October–November 2025. In the last election held in 2020, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formed the government with Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister. In August 2022, the JD(U) parted ways with the NDA and joined hands with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. In January 2024, JD(U) exited the Mahagathbandhan and returned to the NDA, once again forming the government with BJP.