NEW DELHI: In Bihar’s charged political arena, the adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” seemed to come alive on Wednesday, as rivals —BJP-JD(U) and RJD —found common ground in Prashant. Kishor. The trio united in criticism of Jan Suraaj Party founder while mocking him for deciding to eventually not contest the upcoming assembly elections.
‘Mungerilal’s beautiful dreams’
Union minister Giriraj Singh was even more scathing, calling Kishor’s expectations of winning over 150 seats “Mungerilal ke haseen sapne” — a reference to a popular television show about daydreams. “Kishor realized he would not win. His party is nothing but a ‘vote katwa’ outfit — the ‘B team’ of the RJD,” Singh said.Echoing that sentiment, BJP spokesperson Niraj Kumar said, “Kishor’s bubble burst even before the elections. By announcing that he won’t contest, he has admitted defeat for himself and his party.” JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar called the move “a humiliation for his workers,” accusing Kishor of having “run away before the electoral battle.”BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Kishor’s withdrawal was “a business decision,” adding, “Prashant Kishor is a very smart businessman and has a lot of experience in election campaigns. Perhaps he realized that the ground situation is not in his favor and that if he loses, his enterprise will lose credibility.”
Embarrassment for his workers: JD(U)
JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar called Kishor’s withdrawal a “humiliation” for his own party workers, accusing him of abandoning ship before the real fight began. “He has run away before the electoral battle,” Kumar said. “Earlier, he claimed to have undertaken padayatras to understand the people’s issues. What happened to that? His decision is sheer embarrassment for his workers,” he added.
‘His tire has already been flattened’: RJD
RJD’s Mrityunjay Tiwary also mocked Kishore saying he had “accepted defeat before the battle began.” “Kishor has realized that he and his party will face a humiliating defeat in the upcoming assembly polls,” Tiwary remarked. “Kishor must understand that politics is not as easy as offering consultancy to others. His tire has already been flattened.”
Kishor bows out — ‘in larger interest’
Prashant Kishor, once among India’s most sought-after election strategists, announced that he would stay away from contesting this year’s Bihar polls — a decision he said was taken “in the larger interest” of his Jan Suraaj Party. In an interview with PTI, Kishor said a tally of “less than 150 seats” would be considered a defeat for his party, but insisted that “if Jan Suraaj wins, it will change national politics.”He explained that his decision was meant to keep the focus on party-building rather than personal ambition. “If I were to contest, it would have distracted me from the necessary organizational work,” said Kishor, who was earlier expected to contest from Raghopur, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s constituency.
