Patna (Bihar): Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor officially launched his new political party, "Jan Suraaj Party," in Patna on Wednesday.
At the launch event, Kishor said that the party has been active for the past two years and recently received approval from the Election Commission of India.
"Jan Suraaj campaign is going on for 2-3 years. People are asking when we will be forming the party. We all must thank God, today the Election Commission has officially accepted Jan Suraaj as Jan Suraaj Party," Prashant Kishor said.
He further said that if Bihar has to have a world-class education system, Rs 5 lakh crore is needed in the next 10 years.
"When the liquor ban will be removed, that money won't go into the budget and will not be used for the security of leaders, nor it will be used for roads, water and electricity. That will be used only for building a new education system in Bihar. Every year, Bihar is facing a loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the liquor ban," he added.
Notably, Prashant Kishor has vowed to end the liquor ban in Bihar immediately if elected to power.
With the Election Commission's nod, the Jan Suraj Party is now expected to contest in all constituencies in the Bihar assembly elections next year.
Bihar minister Ashok Chaudhary, reacted to the launch of the Jan Suraj party and took a jibe at Prashant Kishor, calling him a person who believes in the policies and actions of Mahatma Gandhi but takes decisions against it.
"As far as we know Prashant Kishor, he has been managing political parties till date, but unfortunately he did not get a second chance in the parties he managed...Today his expansionist soul has awakened which wants to do politics... He has named (the party) 'Jan-Suraj'... A person who believes in the policies and actions of Mahatma Gandhi but takes decisions against his policies. This shows how much he believes in the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi," Ashok Chaudhary said.
Earlier on September 30, Prashant Kishor said that he does not want to become the leader of the party, adding that next year, in January or February, the party will release its agenda for Bihar.
"At the beginning of the Jan Suraaj campaign, it was said that an important aim of this is to end the political helplessness under which in the last 25-30 years people voted for the BJP out of fear for Lalu Prasad out of fear for the BJP due to the lack of any alternative. For this, it is important for people of Bihar to form a better alternative...That alternative should be a party of all the people of Bihar who want to form this together," Kishor told ANI.
He further said that he would encourage people not to vote under pressure from misguided leaders and to vote for their children for education and employment.
"The party is being formed; in February and March 2025, we will release the party's agenda. The blueprint and vision for Bihar will be launched. These are important steps. My dream is to not form the party and win the elections but my dream is to make the Bihar state that the people from Jharkhand, Haryana, come here and work here. This is my dream and we are working towards that," he said.
Earlier, Prashant Kishor announced that the party would contest elections on all 243 seats out of which there will be 40 women candidates from the party to be formed.
The assembly elections in Bihar are likely to be held in October-November 2025.
—ANI