RJD mocks Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor for skipping Bihar elections

Patna: Opposition RJD on Wednesday took a dig at poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor over his decision not to contest the Bihar assembly elections, saying "he had accepted defeat for his Jan Suraaj Party even before going to the battlefield."

Earlier in the day, Jan Suraaj Party founder 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 told PTI, "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 told PTI, "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 pad-yatras to understand the people’s issues. What happened to that? His decision is sheer embarrassment for his workers," he told PTI.

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.