Muslims in Bihar must demand fair political representation: Prashant Kishor

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Sunday urged Muslims in Bihar to demand fair political representation instead of becoming “camp followers” of any party.Speaking at a minorities’ convention in Patna, Kishor thanked the community for supporting him in the recent Bankipur by-election and said minorities must secure their rightful place in democratic politics.“ I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support during the recently held bypoll.

We must now strive to ensure a fair deal for minorities, who must receive due representation in democratic politics,” he said.The event was held in the Muslim-majority Sabzibagh area, which falls under Bankipur. Kishor won the seat by defeating the BJP, which had held the constituency continuously since 1995. The by-election was necessitated after BJP president Nitin Nabin, a five-term MLA, vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

Muslim voters in Patna are believed to have backed Kishor in large numbers instead of the RJD, which had traditionally enjoyed their support.Kishor urged all communities to focus on the future of their children rather than be swayed by leaders claiming to represent them.“ That is my request to minorities as well. They must fight for their due share in politics instead of becoming camp followers of any party,” he said.The former poll strategist has sought to reach out to Muslims since entering politics around five years ago.

As JD(U) national vice-president, he criticised the Narendra Modi government over the Citizenship Amendment Act and attacked his party’s stand on the issue. He was subsequently expelled from the JD(U). Kishor later founded Jan Suraaj, which failed to make a significant impact in last year’s Bihar Assembly election despite promising greater representation for women, minorities and extremely backward classes.The Jan Suraaj Party has announced that it will contest all eight Legislative Council seats likely to go to the polls next month.Kishor also targeted the RJD over its list of six candidates for the elections, alleging that the party had favoured defectors and those who supplied it with money.“

Does the list look like that of RJD leaders? It is full of turncoats. It seems the party has given tickets to whoever supplied it with money,” he alleged.One of the RJD candidates is Rashmi Vinayak Gautam, whose husband, Sitamarhi-based doctor Vinayak Gautam, was previously associated with Jan Suraaj.Kishor later criticised calls from some NDA leaders to rename Bakhtiyarpur, the birthplace of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, after him.“

This is another sign that Bihar is now under BJP rule. There will be less substantial work and more noise over renaming places,” he told reporters.The JD(U) has remained silent on the proposal, but Union minister Chirag Paswan and Hindustani Awam Morcha president Santosh Kumar Suman have backed it.Asked about demands from some JD(U) leaders to rename the party after Nitish Kumar, Kishor claimed that changing its name would make little difference.“

The fact remains that the party is being run not by Nitish Kumar but by Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” he alleged.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 13, 2026 23:34 IST