Will contest bypoll, says Kishor after launching Jan Suraaj Party

Former election strategist Prashant Kishor today entered into electoral politics with the official launch of Jan Suraaj campaign as a political party in Patna.

Kishor said the party had recently received approval from the Election Commission. The party, which will be headed by Manoj Bharti, a retired officer of the Indian Foreign Service, will contest all 243 Assembly seats in Bihar. He added his party would also contest the upcoming bypoll in the state.

“If Bihar has to have a world-class education system, Rs 5 lakh crore is needed in the next 10 years. Every year, Bihar is facing a loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the liquor ban. If elected, the party would end prohibition on liquor and the revenue would be used to reform the education sector,” Kishor said.

He said in Bihar, in the last 25 to 30 years, people have been voting for RJD or BJP. That compulsion should end, and the alternative should not belong to any dynastic party, but people who wish to form the party,” he said.

Even before the launch, the party had become a cause for concern for the RJD. On July 28, Kishor welcomed four new members to its unit — including ex-IPS officer Anand Mishra. Ziyauddin Khan, former state general secretary of Janata Dal (United) was another entrant. Dr Jagriti Thakur, granddaughter of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur had also joined the party. Prof Rambali Singh Chandravanshi was another big political entry into Kishor’s new political formation.