Nitish Kumar Targeted by Prashant Kishore on His Own Stronghold

Dubela, Ankesh Roy: Once a friend, now a foe — Prashant Kishore was once a key part of Nitish Kumar’s political journey, but has now turned into a rival. The tactician behind Nitish Kumar’s comeback in the 2015 Bihar elections is now competing against him.

Kishore, who was earlier a political strategist and is now the founder of the Jan Suraaj party, has decided to contest elections in Bihar this year. On May 11, he will launch his campaign from Kalyanbigha, the native village of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Nalanda district. There, he plans to highlight that Nitish has failed to deliver on three major promises.

Kishore’s strategy clearly shows that his Jan Suraaj party is positioning itself directly against Nitish Kumar’s party. He is starting his campaign in Kalyanbigha with a 10 million signature drive before expanding to the remaining 40,000 villages of Bihar. Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (United)’s slogan for this year is “2025 se 2030, Phir Se Nitish.”

Kishore’s campaign has three key demands. First, he wants a detailed white paper report on the caste-based survey in Bihar, which was released in November 2023. Second, he questions why the promised ₹2 lakh financial aid for 94 lakh poor families has not been provided yet. Third, he demands an explanation for the unpaid ₹1.2 lakh housing support meant for about 40 lakh homeless people. Kishore promises to go door-to-door and ask villagers in Kalyanbigha whether they have received any of the promised benefits.

Once a strong supporter of Nitish, Kishore is now one of his biggest challengers. Ten years ago, Kishore helped lead the ‘Phir Se Nitish’ campaign, going door-to-door with the slogan ‘Har Ghar Dastak.’ He promoted Nitish’s promises of better roads, electricity, and water for all. Kishore wasn’t just an advisor—he even lived at the Chief Minister’s residence. In 2018, Nitish appointed him as JD(U)’s vice-president and called him “the future of Bihar,” while Kishore regarded Nitish as a father figure. However, their relationship broke down when Kishore openly criticized the party for supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, leading to his exit in January 2020.