Date: October 21, 2025
In the run‐up to the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), Prashant Kishor, has publicly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leadership of coercing and intimidating his party’s candidates into withdrawing their nominations from key constituencies.
The Allegations
- Kishor claimed that three JSP candidates—from the constituencies of Danapur, Brahmpur, and Gopalganj—pulled out of the contest under pressure or threat.
- He described the situation as “democracy being murdered” and demanded that the Election Commission of India step in to protect not only voters but also the safety and freedom of candidates.
- According to Kishor:
- In Gopalganj, the JSP candidate Dr. Shashi Shekhar Sinha had campaigned for several days but then abruptly withdrew his nomination.
- In Brahmpur, the candidate Dr. Satya Prakash Tiwari, who had filed nomination papers and was active in the race, withdrew shortly thereafter.
- In Danapur, candidate Akhilesh Kumar (alias Mutur Sao) was allegedly prevented from filing his nomination on the last day by “pressure” and later discovered to be in the company of central ministers—according to Kishor.
Context & Implications
- The JSP, led by Kishor, has announced that it will contest all 243 seats in Bihar.
- Kishor argues that the BJP is fearful of losing the election to a new “third alternative” and so is resorting to heavy-handed tactics.
- The BJP has rejected the allegations. According to one spokesperson, Kishor is making baseless claims because his party is finding it difficult to make headway.
What’s Next
- Kishor expects prompt action from the Election Commission and has signalled that his party will continue to fight the election despite the pressure.
- The withdrawal of the three candidates reduces JSP’s effective contesting strength to 240 seats (from 243) in the current nomination context.
- How this development plays out in terms of public perception, voter reaction and the conduct of polls will likely be scrutinised closely given the serious nature of the allegations.
