In a dramatic turn of events in the Bihar Assembly elections, the Janata Dal (United), a key ally of the National Democratic Alliance, has taken the lead in 83 constituencies, reigniting widespread attention on a statement made earlier by political strategist Prashant Kishor.
Prashant Kishor Faces Question Of Quitting Politics
Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraj party, had famously declared in a July 2025 interview that he would quit politics if the JDU’s arrow symbol secured more than 25 seats. With JDU now comfortably surpassing that threshold, discussions have intensified on whether Kishor would follow through on his pledge.
Pressed on the remark in a subsequent interview, Kishor reaffirmed his stance, insisting he would leave politics if proven wrong. Following the release of exit polls, a clip of his interview with News18 went viral, triggering a debate across social media. Speaking to a journalist, Kishor said he expected to be informed if JDU or Jan Suraj itself won, otherwise he would step away from political life. He described his prediction as a “bet,” asserting at the time that JDU’s prospects were finished.
Despite this, Kishor has repeatedly cautioned against underestimating Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, citing his proven ability to orchestrate political comebacks even when written off by analysts.
As for Kishor’s own party, Jan Suraj contested all 243 Assembly seats, though five candidates withdrew. Of the remaining 238, 116 candidates finished third and 122 ranked lower. By 6:30 pm on November 14, Jan Suraj had secured approximately 1.5 million votes, representing around 3 percent of the total vote share, with over 10,000 votes in 32 constituencies.