Prashant Kishor, often dubbed a political “kingmaker,” rose to fame after masterminding game-changing campaigns for a slew of top leaders across party lines. He crafted the winning narrative for Narendra Modi’s BJP in the 2012 Gujarat Assembly elections and the legendary “Chai Pe Charcha” campaign, which helped the BJP clinch the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
His strategic acumen powered Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav’s grand alliance (Mahagathbandhan) to triumph in the 2015 Bihar assembly elections, Amarinder Singh’s victory in Punjab (2017), and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s stunning sweep in Andhra Pradesh. The record continued: Kishor was central to Mamata Banerjee’s third-term win in West Bengal and MK Stalin’s landslide in Tamil Nadu in 2021.
The Emergence of Jan Suraaj Party
After years of steering winning campaigns for various parties, Kishor pivoted to the grassroots, launching Jan Suraaj Abhiyan and subsequently the Jan Suraaj Party in 2024. His movement was touted as a fresh alternative aimed at cleansing and reforming Bihar’s political landscape.
Kishor toured the state extensively for months, promising people-oriented change and building a team of candidates drawn from diverse professional backgrounds, including popular Bhojpuri singers, former bureaucrats, academics, and old political hands.
Hero Strategist, Flop Debut
Despite a high-profile, energetic campaign and growing social media presence, the results were unequivocal: Jan Suraaj failed to open its account. None of its candidates managed to secure a seat, with many trailing so far behind that they were set to forfeit their electoral deposits, an outcome widely seen as humiliating for Kishor and his party.
Why Did Jan Suraaj Fail?
Several factors contributed to the dramatic collapse:
- Overconfidence and Unmet Promises: Kishor’s public assertion that JD(U) would be routed and his suggestion that Jan Suraaj was poised for major gains raised expectations, and led to disappointment when none materialised.
- Aggressive JD(U) Campaigning: Kishor’s predictions reportedly energised JD(U) supporters, driving them to a landslide win while Jan Suraaj got squeezed out.
- No Alliances, Sparse Infrastructure: Kishor had insisted on contesting all seats independently, refusing alliances, leaving Jan Suraaj exposed against the well-oiled machinery of seasoned parties.
- Public Disconnect: Despite massive outreach, critics noted that party messaging and candidate profiles missed the pulse of Bihar’s voters, failing to mobilise significant support during crucial counting hours.
Contrasting Poll Strategies With Realpolitik
Kishor’s expertise as a backroom poll strategist has long relied on behind-the-scenes crafting of alliances, mass communication methods, and micro-targeting. But as a front-facing party founder and leader, he encountered obstacles that campaign logic couldn’t overcome.
While his earlier track record showed that he could shape party victories from within, the move to direct electoral politics proved different. Bihar’s political landscape has been marked by caste equations, patronage networks, and entrenched parties, elements that are difficult for a new party to disrupt in its debut election.
The Broader Impact: Lessons And Reactions
- Political memes and criticism flooded social media, lampooning Kishor and his party’s wipe-out.
- Expectations that Jan Suraaj would be Bihar’s “third front” faded almost instantly, with results reaffirming the dominance of established parties like JD(U) and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
- Kishor’s promise to work for Bihar for ten years, and remain active for at least five more years, signals his intent to continue despite the defeat, though his credibility will take time to rebuild.
Prashant Kishor: Past Achievements vs Present Setback
What’s Next For Prashant Kishor?
Despite this major setback, Prashant Kishor has publicly committed to continuing his work for Bihar, determined to transform the state “over the next ten years.” Whether Jan Suraaj can retool, regroup, and become electorally relevant in future polls remains to be seen, but the party’s failure in this election is stark.
Kishor’s journey illustrates the gulf that can exist between policy strategy and electoral success, particularly when transitioning from an influential adviser to a political principal. As observers note, not all successful coaches win matches when they step onto the field themselves.
Jan Suraaj’s clean sweep loss in Bihar marks a dramatic pause in Prashant Kishor’s kingmaker legacy, an episode sure to inspire fresh analyses about political strategy, charisma, and the unpredictable nature of Indian democracy.