Bihar By-Election / Prashant Kishor started becoming a problem for Tejashwi from the very first election

Bihar By-Election: Prashant Kishore (PK)'s party 'Jansuraj' fought its first major political contest in the Bihar by-election, but the results were extremely disappointing. Out of the by-elections held on four assembly seats, Jansuraj candidates lost their deposits on three, while the party came fourth on one seat. These results not only proved to be a setback for Jansuraj, but have also become a topic of discussion in Bihar politics.

Lost on all four seats, but managed to spoil the game

Jansuraj fielded Kiran Singh on the Taradi seat, but she could only get 5,622 votes. BJP's Vishal Prashant won this seat, while the CPI(ML) candidate finished second. This seat was with the CPI(ML) in the 2020 elections.

Sushil Kumar Singh was made the candidate in Ramgarh, but he too remained out of the main contest with 6,513 votes. Here too BJP's Ashok Kumar Singh won.

Imamganj seat was contested by Jitan Ram Manjhi's daughter-in-law, and Jansuraj candidate Jitendra Paswan managed to save his deposit by getting 35,000 votes.

JDU's Manorama Devi won the Belagnj seat, while Jansuraj's candidate came third. He got 17,000 votes.

PK's claims and ground reality

At the time of Jansuraj launch, PK had claimed that he would bring a big change in Bihar politics. He had described the by-election as a way to show the strength of his party. Prashant Kishore campaigned vigorously during the election campaign, toured village after village, but the results were disappointing for him.

However, despite the defeat, PK caused damage to Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD on two seats. In Imamganj, the RJD candidate lost by about 6,000 votes, while in Belagnj, RJD's Vishwanath Singh had to face defeat by a margin of 21,000 votes. Here PK's candidate got about 18,000 votes.

Failure to understand the political mood of Bihar?

Prashant Kishore has made a big name as an election strategist, but the plight of his party in the Bihar by-elections has raised many questions. Did PK fail to understand the political mood of Bihar?

Elections on these four seats were held in South Bihar. Caste equations and regional issues dominated these seats of Taradi, Imamganj, Belaganj and Ramgarh. But PK's party failed to capitalize on these equations.

Way forward and preparation for 2025

Prashant Kishore's eyes are now on the 2025 assembly elections. He tried to make this by-election a litmus test for his party, but the result raised questions on his strategy.

In the coming times, PK will have to be more careful in selecting his candidates. The current image of Jansuraj has become that of a "vote cutter" party. In such a situation, Prashant Kishor will not only have to strengthen his organization but also understand the ground level political equations of Bihar.

Conclusion

The results of the Bihar by-elections are a learning opportunity for Prashant Kishor and his party. Although his strategy did not work this time, it will be interesting to see what lessons he learns from his mistakes in the upcoming elections and how he strengthens his political ground. His dream of bringing change in Bihar politics seems difficult at the moment, but it is quite likely that he will once again enter the fray with new enthusiasm and strategy.