Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has announced that his organisation will field a substantial number of Muslim candidates in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, scheduled for next year. Speaking after a symposium on the participation of Muslims in politics, organised by Jan Suraaj, Prashant highlighted the underrepresentation of Muslims in the current assembly and took a dig at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for its alleged failure to support the minority community.
"We intend to give tickets to at least 40 Muslims in elections to the 243-strong assembly. The community will also have a fair share of representation in the organisation's leadership," Prashant told reporters, as per news agency PTI.
He noted that despite Muslims constituting about 20 per cent of Bihar's population, there are only 19 Muslim members in the current assembly. "So much for the secular credentials of RJD, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), and the Congress," he remarked, pointing out the inadequacies of these parties in supporting Muslim representation.
Prashant rejected allegations from the RJD that his outreach to Muslims was intended to split the minority vote and indirectly benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is RJD's principal opponent in the state.
Responding to these accusations, Prashant threw a challenge to the RJD, saying, "If that is the RJD's fear, I challenge it to give tickets to an adequate number of Muslims. They claim to be 'rehnuma' (champions) of the community. They must walk the talk. I can promise that if they do so, Jan Suraaj will not field Muslims in seats where their candidate belongs to the same community. If the Muslim votes could get divided if the Jan Suraaj Party contests the elections, then wherever you would field a Muslim candidate, we would nominate a Hindu candidate there. Stop snatching their rights and give them tickets as per the population."
Our Fight In Bihar Is With NDA, Not RJD: Prashant Kishor
Prashant, the founder of the Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), has also clarified that Jan Suraaj, which is set to become a full-fledged political party on 2 October 2025, does not see the RJD as its main opponent. "Our fight is not with the RJD. Who even considers RJD? Our fight is with the NDA," Prashant said, underlining that his focus is on challenging the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming elections.
He further pointed out that in the last Lok Sabha elections, the NDA was leading in 176 seats, while the RJD's influence was minimal.
The Jan Suraaj leader also expressed confidence in his party's prospects remarking that the next Bihar Chief Minister would be from his party.
As Prashant Kishor gears up for the 2025 assembly elections, he continues to target both the INDIA alliance and the NDA, asserting that Jan Suraaj will offer a new political alternative to the people of Bihar. "So far, the political parties and governments have only deceived the public. That is why I am working to build my party with a new vision and new hopes," he stated, reiterating that his struggle is against the NDA, not the RJD.