Vrishin Patel, Key Aide Of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Joins Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj

Vrishin Patel comes from a family of freedom fighters and was once considered the second most influential Kurmi leader in Bihar after CM Nitish Kumar.

Former Bihar Education Minister Vrishin Patel, once close to Nitish Kumar, has joined Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party ahead of state elections.

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In a new development, Bihar’s former Education Minister and once a close associate of Nitish Kumar, Vrishin Patel, has joined hands with election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, who heads the Jan Suraaj Party ahead of the state assembly elections.

Patel had earlier left Nitish Kumar’s party to join Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM party, and later switched to the RJD. He had resigned from RJD before the last Lok Sabha elections. Now, he has been seen with Prashant Kishor and has officially joined the Jan Suraaj Party, according to sources. A photo of Vrishin Patel with Prashant Kishor has surfaced on social media.

Patel comes from a family of freedom fighters and was once considered the second most influential Kurmi leader in Bihar after CM Nitish Kumar. He has represented the Vaishali Assembly constituency and has also been elected as an MP from Siwan.

In 2005, Vrishin Patel was inducted into Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. However, in early 2015, he parted ways with Nitish and joined hands with Jitan Ram Manjhi. When the 2020 assembly elections took place and Manjhi aligned with Nitish Kumar again, Patel left HAM and joined Lalu Yadav’s RJD. He remained with RJD for around five years and has now joined Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj.

Prashant Kishor Trying To Bring Former JD(U) Leaders Into His Fold?

The key question now is whether Prashant Kishor, a strong critic of Nitish Kumar, is trying to bring former JD(U) leaders into his fold. Prashant Kishor often says at his public meetings that he wants to offer a new political alternative to the people of Bihar, focused on the state's future and youth development.

He talks about curbing migration and providing employment, issues for which the Nitish government is often held accountable. Despite this, Prashant Kishor hasn’t yet received the kind of public support he hoped for. From by-elections to the Patna University student union polls, he hasn’t seen much success.

Recently, he organised a rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan under the banner of “Badlaav Rally” (Rally for Change). However, the rally also did not achieve much success.