PATNA: Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday broke his silence on his party’s debacle in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections, taking full responsibility for its poor performance.
In his first reaction since the announcement of the poll results on 14 November, Kishor said that although his team had made honest and sincere efforts, they had failed to convince people of the party’s ideology and policies. “We failed to convince people what we meant for them. So, they voted in favour of the NDA,” he told the media.
The Jan Suraaj Party contested 238 seats but failed to win a single one, securing just 3.44 per cent of the vote share. In 68 constituencies, the JSP even received fewer votes than NOTA. While three candidates withdrew their nominations, one extended support to the BJP.
Kishor said that although his team had worked sincerely, they did not receive the desired public response, leading to results that were far from expectations. “Forget about systematic change, we could not even bring about a change in government,” he said, while resolving to continue his fight for systemic reform.
“It’s true that the election results did not come on expected lines, but we will continue our struggle. We will not sit idle and will continue to raise the voice of the people of Bihar. Though we failed to win even a single seat, we certainly played some role in changing Bihar’s politics,” he added.
Responding to a media query, the JSP founder said the party would review the mistakes that led to its poor electoral performance. “We will identify the mistakes and rectify them. If the public does not show faith in us, the responsibility for that is entirely mine,” he said.
He acknowledged that he had failed to win the trust of the people of Bihar in the 2025 Assembly election. “I failed to explain the basis on which they should vote and why they should create a new system,” he said, adding that he would observe a day of silence at Gandhi’s Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran on 20 November.
Kishor thanked the BJP–JD(U)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for its landslide victory and said the new government now carries a greater responsibility to fulfil its pre-election promises. “A greater responsibility now lies on the new government,” he added.
Referring to factors that influenced the election outcome, the political strategist-turned-activist claimed that the JD(U) would not have won more than 25 seats had the government not credited ₹10,000 each to the bank accounts of Jeevika Didis just days before the polls.
He reiterated his earlier statement that he would quit politics if the JD(U) secured more than 25 seats. “If Nitish Kumar transfers the ₹2 lakh he promised to 1.5 crore Jeevika Didis, and proves he did not win by buying votes, I will retire from politics,” he asserted.
Despite the setback, Kishor vowed to continue his struggle. “I will work twice as hard as you have seen me work over the past three years and put in all my energy. There is no question of backing down. There is no turning back until I fulfil my resolve to make Bihar better,” he said.