Prashant Kishor Challenges Nitish Kumar, Vows To Quit Politics If Cash Promise To Women Is Met

Poll strategist–turned–politician Prashant Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj Party suffered a severe loss in the recent Bihar Assembly elections, has issued a fresh challenge to chief minister Nitish Kumar and the JD(U)-led government. Speaking publicly for the first time after his party’s disappointing debut, Kishor admitted full responsibility for the outcome and acknowledged that his organisation failed to bring about political change in the state.

Kishor reiterated his earlier claim about JD(U)'s performance, saying he stands by his prediction that the party would not cross 25 seats without external influence. He declared that he would exit politics “without any conditions” if the government genuinely delivers on its promise of transferring ₹2 lakh each to 1.5 crore women in Bihar, adding that this would prove the victory was not the result of vote-buying.

He accused the ruling party of distributing ₹10,000 to around 60,000 people in every constituency, arguing that this allegedly boosted JD(U)’s seat tally, which ended at 85 out of the 101 seats contested. He insisted that it must be clarified whether such transfers were legitimate welfare measures or a means to sway voters.

In contrast, Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party contested all 243 seats but failed to win any. Despite the setback, he asserted that his team would learn from its mistakes and return with renewed strength. With the NDA coalition, led by JD(U) and the BJP, securing a decisive victory, the new Bihar government is set to be sworn in on November 20 following the two-phase election held earlier in the month.