BJP, RJD, JD(U) mock Kishor's decision not to contest Bihar polls, say 'situation not in favour'

Patna/Delhi, Oct 15 (PTI) The BJP, JD(U) and RJD on Wednesday mocked Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor's decision not to contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, saying he has realised that the "situation is not in his favour".

RJD said "he has accepted defeat for his Jan Suraaj Party even before going to the battlefield", while BJP said "Kishor realised he would not win elections" and the JD(U) stated that his decision was a "humiliation for his party workers".

Earlier in the day, Kishor announced that he would not contest the polls, a decision, he claimed, was taken by the party in the larger interest.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, Kishor had also said that a "tally of less than 150 seats" for his party would be considered a defeat.

Reacting to his remarks, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said, "Kishor has realised that he and his party will face a humiliating defeat in the upcoming assembly polls. That is why he has announced that he will not contest. He has accepted defeat for the Jan Suraaj Party even before going to the battlefield." Kishor must realise that politics is not as easy as providing consultancy to political parties, said Tiwary, adding, "Kishor's tyre has been flattened." Echoing a similar view, Bihar BJP spokesperson Niraj Kumar said, "Kishor's bubble burst even before the elections. By announcing that he won't contest, he has admitted defeat for himself and his party. They will face a humiliating defeat in the polls." JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said Kishor's decision was a "humiliation" for his party workers.

"He has run away before the electoral battle. Earlier, he claimed to have undertaken padayatras to understand the people's issues. What happened to that? His decision is sheer embarrassment for his workers," he said.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Prashant Kishor is a very smart businessman and he has also had a lot of experience in running election campaigns." "Perhaps, the businessman and former election campaigner in him has realised that the real situation on the ground is not favourable for him or his party and that if he loses this election, then his business enterprise will have no takers in the future," he said.

Therefore, perhaps seeing that reality on the ground that the NDA is forming its government once again with a strong mandate he has decided to bow out, the BJP spokesperson said.

It is only a "sign of weakness" and "lack of confidence", he said.

"Nonetheless, these are business decisions that he has taken on behalf of his enterprise and he is entitled to do so," he added.

Union minister Giriraj Singh claimed that the poll strategist-turned-politician "knew that he would not win the elections".

Kishor's statement that a tally of less than 150 seats for the Jan Suraaj Party would be considered a defeat is "Mungerilal ke haseen sapne", Singh told PTI Videos.

'Mungerilal ke haseen sapne' was a television series about a man who was a daydreamer.

"Kishor realised that he would not win elections, and that is why he announced that he would not contest polls. Whatever he had invested in forming the Jan Suraaj Party had been recovered. His party is nothing but a 'vote katwa' (a party that cuts the votes of others). Jan Suraaj is the 'B' team of the RJD," Singh alleged.

Kishor had earlier hinted at contesting from Raghopur, the constituency of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is eyeing a hat-trick.

However, Jan Suraaj's national president Uday Singh on Monday handed the party symbol to Chanchal Singh for the seat in Vaishali district.

The Jan Suraaj Party has so far announced 116 candidates for the 243-member Bihar assembly.

Elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and the counting of votes will take place on November 14. PTI PKD PK MNB ZMN BDC ACD