Patna: In his first press conference after the Bihar Assembly election results, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor admitted that his party failed to make an impact and said he would take “cent per cent responsibility” for the setback. Speaking candidly, Kishor said the party made sincere efforts but fell short, adding that they would analyse their mistakes and return with greater strength.
“Made honest effort but failed, I take cent per cent responsibility. Received setback but will rectify mistakes, build ourselves, come back stronger; no going back for us,” he stated.
Kishor acknowledged that despite working with positive intent, the party was unable to bring the change it had aimed for. “We tried very positively from our end. We failed to change this government. We tried a lot from our end, but it seems we failed somewhere. I take all the blame on myself as I failed to let people understand. We will do our introspection. I am sorry I failed in our efforts. I will be on a ‘maun upvas’ (vow of silence) for a day.”
Emphasising that failure in elections is not a crime, he said, “We did not do caste politics or indulge in Hindu-Muslim narratives. We did not spread poison in society. We did not commit the crime of buying votes from poor and innocent people. Those who have done that will have to face the consequences of their actions. Even though Abhimanyu was killed, that did not win them the Mahabharat – it was won by those on the just side. The victory will be ours.”
Kishor also commented on allegations surrounding the NDA’s sweeping victory. According to him, voters did not “sell their votes,” but government schemes played a major role. “People are saying voters sold their votes for Rs 10,000. That is not true; people here will not sell their future or their children’s future… But in every Assembly seat, at least 60,000–62,000 people were given Rs 10,000 and promised a Rs 2 lakh loan. Government officials were on duty telling people they would get the loan if the NDA returned to power, and Jeevika didis were put on duty for this.”
He dismissed questions about resignation, clarifying he holds no official post. “I never said I would leave Bihar. I said I would not do politics – and that stands. What I do is not politics; amplifying people’s voices is not politics.”
Kishor reiterated that he would quit politics entirely if the Nitish Kumar-led government fulfils its pre-poll commitment. After the Jan Suraaj Party’s electoral setback, he said he would “definitely quit politics if the Nitish government gives Rs 2 lakh each to 1.5 crore people as promised.”
