Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday used a public platform in Mumbai to offer pointed political advice to Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, whose party failed to win even a single seat in the recent Bihar Assembly elections. Calling it a “practical political lesson,” Fadnavis said that electoral relevance is essential for any ideology to survive in a democracy.
“There are two ways to run a democracy… through ideology or through numbers. But you cannot propagate an ideology without numbers,” the chief minister remarked, stressing the importance of electoral strength. He added that politics ultimately rests on representation, and even the strongest value systems struggle without legislative presence.
Referring directly to Kishor’s electoral performance, Fadnavis highlighted the gap between a movement and actual political impact. “He presented an ideological alternative in Bihar but could not win a single seat. How can he bring change? To keep your ideology, ethos and morality alive, you always need to be relevant in politics,” he said.
Jan Suraaj had contested 238 of the 243 assembly seats in Bihar but ended the election cycle without a single victory. Following the setback, Kishor announced that he would continue his efforts to reshape Bihar’s politics and observed a day-long silent fast at Gandhi Bhitiharwa Ashram on November 20.
The Bihar verdict was overwhelmingly in favour of the NDA, which secured 202 seats—marking its second time crossing the 200-seat threshold after the 2010 elections. The BJP led with 89 seats, while JD(U) followed closely with 85. The opposition Mahagathbandhan could manage only 35 seats, reflecting a lopsided mandate.
