Jan Suraaj founder and poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday made his first public statement following his party’s disappointing performance in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections, in which the party failed to secure a single seat. Speaking in Patna, Kishor acknowledged that the results reflected shortcomings in his own approach and accepted full responsibility for the defeat.
“If the public did not show faith in us, then the responsibility for that is completely mine. I take that responsibility 100% on myself, that I could not win the faith of the people of Bihar,” Kishor said.
Prashant Kishor on Bihar Election Campaign, Reasons For Poor Performance
He described the campaign as an “honest effort” that ultimately proved “completely unsuccessful,” stressing that there is “no harm in admitting this.” Kishor noted.
“Forget about systemic change; we couldn’t even bring about a change in power,”
while asserting that Jan Suraaj had nonetheless “played some role in changing Bihar’s politics.”
Reflecting on the reasons for the poor performance, he added,
“There must have been some mistake in our efforts, in our thinking, in the way we explained that the public had not elected us.”
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar | Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor says, “…We made an honest effort, but it was completely unsuccessful. There’s no harm in admitting this. Forget about systemic change; we couldn’t even bring about a change in power. But we certainly played some role in… pic.twitter.com/gw0xIlZlPn
— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2025
Jan Suraaj Alleges Misuse of Public Funds
Earlier, Kishor’s party raised serious allegations regarding the use of public funds in Bihar. Jan Suraaj claimed that World Bank funds worth Rs 14,000 crore, earmarked for development projects, were allegedly diverted to provide Rs 10,000 cash transfers to women, influencing voter behavior during the Assembly polls.
The party described this as, “a clear misuse of public money and an unethical attempt to sway the electoral process,” and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Falls Flat in Bihar Elections 20225
The election marked the electoral debut of Prashant Kishor as a party leader. Jan Suraaj contested 238 out of Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats but failed to secure even a single victory, making the party’s entry into state politics a major setback.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
