Prashant Kishor Accuses BJP of Intimidation, Says Jan Suraj Candidates Forced to Withdraw Under Pressure

Patna, Oct 2025 : In a sharp escalation of Bihar’s political war of words, Jan Suraj founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of luring opposition politicians and threatening his party’s candidates into withdrawing their nominations. Addressing the media in Patna, Kishor claimed that three Jan Suraj candidates have been “forced to withdraw” their nominations under direct or indirect pressure from the BJP, calling it a “new low for democracy” in Bihar.

“There is no true coalition or democracy left in Bihar today,” Kishor said. “We’ve seen the BJP buy MLAs and destabilize governments across India. Now, they’re doing the same even before the elections in Bihar. Our candidates are being systematically obstructed. Some were not allowed to file nominations, and others were coerced into withdrawing. This is not an election — this is intimidation.”

Citing a dramatic case from Danapur, Kishor alleged that Mutur Shah, the Jan Suraj candidate from the constituency, was kidnapped and prevented from filing his nomination papers. “Our candidate in Danapur was ready to file his nomination but suddenly went missing,” Kishor said. “The BJP is claiming that RJD’s Ritlal Yadav threatened him, but the truth is different. Mutur Shah was last seen with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Where is the Election Commission? Why is there no inquiry?”

In the past two days, several Jan Suraj leaders — including Amit Kumar Paswan (state spokesperson), Anita Kumari (former district councilor), and Karmaveer Paswan (founding member) — have joined the BJP, fueling speculation that the saffron party is actively targeting Kishor’s organization ahead of the polls.

Despite these setbacks, Kishor struck a defiant tone. “We will not rest until we defeat the BJP and uproot the NDA from Bihar,” he declared. “They are trying to create fear by buying or threatening our candidates, but we are not afraid. Buy as many people as you want, confine as many as you want — the elections will be fought with such force that the BJP will be stunned. Jan Suraj is not the Grand Alliance; we are a people’s movement.”

He accused the BJP of exploiting the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s image to frighten voters. “They don’t care about the Grand Alliance candidates. They go to the people and say, ‘If you don’t vote for us, Lalu’s jungle raj will return.’ But they are not afraid of corrupt leaders — they are afraid of good people. The fear of Jan Suraj lies in our clean and credible candidates who cannot be bought.”

Kishor reiterated that he will not contest the Bihar Assembly elections himself but will campaign across constituencies to “expose the nexus of fear and manipulation” allegedly being run by the BJP.

He also claimed that the BJP’s confidence is wavering, saying, “For the first time, the BJP feels threatened in Bihar. They’ve built an image of being undefeatable — of forming governments regardless of who wins. But the ground reality is changing. The people of Bihar are tired of the politics of fear and division.”

With the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled in two phases — on November 6 and 11 — and results to be announced on November 14, the political atmosphere in the state has turned increasingly charged. Kishor’s allegations add another layer to an already heated campaign, where the BJP, RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, and Jan Suraj are locked in a fierce contest for narrative and credibility.

As campaigning intensifies, Kishor’s fiery rhetoric positions Jan Suraj as a challenger seeking to disrupt Bihar’s traditional bipolar politics. “We are not here to adjust or align,” he concluded. “We are here to clean Bihar’s politics — and we will fight till the end, no matter how much pressure is put on us.”