How Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj is dealing with Bihar loss aftermath as Ritesh Pandey quits, RCP Singh fuels exit buzz
Party says it wants “committed leaders and a devoted workforce” and that it is “learning from mistakes”
Prashant Kishor, Prashant Kishor bihar elections, Jan Suraaj post-poll reset, Prashant Kishor Bihar Assembly defeat, Jan Suraaj organisational elections plan, Prashant Kishor news, Bihar NDA landslide win, Jan Suraaj Bihar vote share, Jan Suraaj candidates losing deposits, Jan Suraaj internal churn, Jan Suraaj leadership restructuring, Nitish Kumar, Indian express Since its defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls last year, which marked its electoral debut, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj says it has been trying to shed the “culture” of nominated party leadership down to the booth level. As a first step, the Jan Suraaj dissolved all its internal committees last November, with the intention to replace them with elected committees.
While the party continues to reassess its position, Bhojpuri singer Ritesh Pandey, one of its high-profile faces, on Monday announced his departure from the party and former Union Minister R C P Singh has dropped hints that he may return to the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United).
“We are learning from our mistakes. We have dissolved our committees at all levels as it had nominated members. We will hold organisational elections to get elected members right down to our booth-level committees. We want committed leaders and a devoted workforce,” Bihar Jan Suraaj president Manoj Bharti told The Indian Express.
Pandey who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls from Kishor’s home constituency of Kargahar in Rohtas district resigned from the Jan Suraaj citing his commitment to his music career. Meanwhile, Singh, who had merged his Aap Sabki Awaz party with the Jan Suraaj last May, attended a Makar Sankranti event organised by the Patel Seva Sangh on Sunday, where he praised the CM and said “Nitish Kumar and I are the same”. Singh’s daughter Lata unsuccessfully contested from the Asthawan Assembly seat in Nalanda district as a Jan Suraaj candidate last year.
The party downplayed the significance of these developments. “We feel that those leaving us have never been with us. The party is getting filtered and only original Jan Suraajis will stay back,” Bharti said.
Where is Prashant Kishor?
With Kishor having receded from the limelight following the Assembly poll defeat — his meeting with Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in December that sparked speculation in political circles — the Jan Suraaj said the party founder would resume his public activity in February.
“Though we have not yet got his (Kishor’s) schedule, he will be active in Bihar soon,” Bharati said, adding that the party would start working on its long-term programme once the new committees were formed.
One of Kishor’s key announcements after the Assembly poll drubbing was to solicit applications from beneficiaries of the Mukymantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana who had not received the second instalment under the scheme.
The Mukymantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, under which 1.62 crore prospective women entrepreneurs have received the first instalment of Rs 10,000 in assistance, was announced just ahead of the the Bihar elections, proving to be pivotal in turning the contest into a one-sided battle in favour of the NDA that won 202 of the state’s 243 Assembly seats.
The Jan Suraaj contested 238 seats, with its candidates losing their deposits in 235 seats and the party polling just 3.4% of the votes.
Share
