Jan Suraaj fails to open account as bid to present alternative narrative finds no takers
Jan Suraaj leaders admitted their attempt to present an alternative political narrative did not find resonance with voters. The party’s Bihar president, Manoj Bharti, said the results reflected both a communication gap and a lack of public understanding of their mission.
Jan Suraaj leaders admitted their attempt to present an alternative political narrative did not find resonance with voters. (File Photo) 
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The Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj was one of the most talked-about parties during the campaigning for the Bihar Assembly elections. On Friday, the party, which had 238 candidates in the fray, failed to win any seat, with 236 of them forfeiting their deposits.
Jan Suraaj leaders admitted their attempt to present an alternative political narrative did not find resonance with voters. The party’s Bihar president, Manoj Bharti, said the results reflected both a communication gap and a lack of public understanding of their mission. “We have been saying from the start that we are trying to bring new politics to Bihar. It is tough to take this politics to the people. These trends show that people have failed to understand us, and we also failed to make them understand.”
In the run-up to the polls, party founder and poll strategist Prashant Kishor had claimed that the record voter turnout in the first phase—the highest since Independence—indicated a yearning for political change and the participation of migrant workers who returned home during the festive season. However, that wave did not translate into support for his fledgling outfit.
A day before polling in the first phase on November 6, the party’s candidate from Munger, Sanjay Kumar Singh, resigned and joined the BJP. Earlier, Jan Suraaj candidates Akhilesh Kumar alias Mutur Shah (Danapur), Dr Satya Prakash Tiwari (Brahampur), and Dr Shashi Shekhar Sinha (Gopalganj) had also withdrawn. Kishor had accused the BJP of “intimidating” the candidates and alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were “pressuring” them to pull out.
Despite speculation he would contest from Raghopur, Kishor announced before the polls he would stay away from the fray, choosing to focus on strategy and campaigning.
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