October 10, 2024
📰 FEATURE STORY
Can Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party succeed in Bihar?
Apart from the big guns, political parties in India, particularly regional ones, are a dime a dozen. Many people want to carve out an electoral and representative space for themselves and the communities they represent. Success isn’t guaranteed, but at least they get people’s attention.
As the festive season gets underway, there’s a buzz in Bihar. Political strategist Prashant Kishor has officially jumped into the political fray with his Jan Suraaj party. The man who helped orchestrate many a political victory behind the scenes is now front and centre with his own political party. Given Bihar’s complicated political landscape, what are his chances?
Context
Kishor is obviously no stranger to politics. He has strategised campaigns for the BJP, Congress, JD(U), and Trinamool Congress, among others. In 2021, he seemed to want to leave that life behind for something more ambitious. He hinted at bigger political aspirations.
Two years ago, he embarked on a padayatra from Bhitiharwa Ashram in Bihar’s West Champaran and went through the state’s districts. It got people in political circles talking and debating about what was cooking.
He finally announced the launch of Jan Suraaj to compete in next year’s Assembly elections in all 243 seats. While he has repeatedly criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Kishor has ruled himself out of the running for Chief Minister.
The former Union minister Devendra Prasad Yadav and diplomat-turned-politician Pavan Varma were present at the party’s launch. In a surprising announcement, Kishor named former Indian Foreign Service officer Manoj Bharti as the party’s working president. He’s a Dalit, an IITian, and from Bihar’s Madhubani district.
Its platform has a 5-point agenda with education and employment as the top priorities. How would he pay for his policies? Kishor has promised to end the state’s liquor ban to help raise thousands of crore in state revenues. Other focus areas are pensions for elders, soft loans to women, and land reforms.
The Jan Suraaj’s flag would feature portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar. The party is trying to set itself apart from others with proportional representation in its organisational set-up. Kishor said the latest caste survey will be a guiding light. As far as ideology is concerned, it’s “human first” in the vein of Gandhi and Ambedkar.
Bihar’s political landscape is rooted in caste. For the past three decades, the RJD and the JD(U) have dominated with leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar. The BJP and Congress have played second fiddle and are limited to coalition partners. The state itself lags far behind many in education and development. The question is, can Kishor and his Jan Suraaj forge a new path and taste success?
VIEW: A good shot
As Kishor launched the Jan Suraaj, comparisons were made to another political upstart – Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP. However, the two couldn’t be more different. The AAP emerged from an anti-corruption movement in Delhi – an urban landscape with a relatively high literacy rate primed for agitation-based politics. Bihar is a different beast. Revolution-style politics are a no-no, and Kishor seems aware of this. He has avoided Kejriwal’s revolution rhetoric and opted for something more pragmatic.
While the outfit is new, and Kishor might not be a household name, he has time to build. Politicians from the NDA and the Grand Alliance have been joining the party. Apart from them, over 100 IAS and IPS officers have opted in. What other parties might be worried about is Kishor’s promise of fielding a diverse array of candidates, with 40 Muslims and women and 70 from extremely backward castes.
Over 70% of the state’s population is under 35. The padayatra was a smart play to cover as much ground as possible to win over the state’s youth, who play a decisive role in election outcomes. He’s offering them an alternative to the usual players who’ve dominated for decades. They’re more digitally savvy, and the party knows it.
It’s where his experience as a political strategist comes into play. Kishor has showcased his abilities as an election manager and strategist with political parties across the spectrum.
COUNTERVIEW: An uphill climb
Bihar is rooted in caste-based politics. The RJD has a Muslim-Yadav voter base, the BJP has the upper castes, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), and the JD(U)’s support comes from the Kurmis, the Kushwahas, and a section of EBCs. So, where’s the space for a new party? It doesn’t have the explicit support of any caste group yet. Kishor’s choice to steer clear of caste politics is risky.
Since the party will contest all 243 seats without an alliance, the calculus is daunting. It will need 3 out of every 10 votes to make an impact. Even the BJP hasn’t done this. Those who have joined Kishor and the party are imports from parties or retired bureaucrats who don’t inspire much confidence or offer a sense of newness. Several of them have dubious reputations. It has raised questions about the party’s screening process.
Kishor’s promise of ending prohibition to fund his policies and schemes could backfire. There was backlash from political leaders, particularly in the ruling party, who took offence. To them, it would harm Bihar’s efforts to curb alcoholism. The ripples of that extend to many sections of women who are among the strongest advocates of banning alcohol. Ending that ban would only lead to societal ills like domestic violence.
A political upstart is going to have a rocky path in Bihar. The state might be desiring change, but Kishor might not be the person to provide it. He has been a part of the system. The party hasn’t offered any new political thoughts since it hasn’t organically evolved out of any struggle.
Reference Links:
- Prashant Kishor Launches Jan Suraaj Party, Former Diplomat to be Working President – The Wire
- Will Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party reshape Bihar’s complex political landscape? – The Week
- Can Prashant Kishor disrupt Bihar’s rigid political status quo – India Today
- How Prashant Kishor’s newly minted Jan Suraaj party will impact key players in Bihar politics – The Print
- Kishor’s Jan Suraaj will challenge key players – The Sunday Guardian
- Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party mustn’t be AAP of Bihar. Let’s hope no anarchy, corruption – The Print
What is your opinion on this?
(Only subscribers can participate in polls)
a) Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party can succeed in Bihar.
b) Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party can’t succeed in Bihar.
Previous poll’s results:
- Climate Assemblies can help accelerate the fight against climate change: 64.3% 🏆
- Climate Assemblies can’t help accelerate the fight against climate change: 35.7%
🕵️ BEYOND ECHO CHAMBERS
For the Right:
Does adding ‘PM’ to a scheme make any real difference?
For the Left:
1991 reforms shifted burden of healthcare costs from government to people. PM-JAY reversed it