Kingmaker to 'certain loser': How Bihar sees Jan Suraaj

Many critics posit that the former political strategist Prashant Kishor-led party "has a vision", but it is "too young" and "inexperienced" in politics to be trusted. Dr Rajiv Jha, a resident of Patna's Patrakar Nagar, seethes with anger at heaps of garbage dumped near his home and broken roads, which he hopes might be fixed after this election. 

Asked how he looks at the entry of Kishor's party in the fray, the cardiologist argued that the party "won't be able to open its account." Arun Kumar Pathak, 71, who retired as chief ticket supervisor in the Indian Railways, is even more critical of the newcomer and its candidate from the key Kumhrar constituency, 71-year-old mathematician K C Sinha. 

"This new party is not trustworthy, has suddenly appeared on the election horizon without any experience... 'Unki (Sinha) zamanat japt ho jayegi' (he will have to forfeit his deposit). The mathematician is a local. He could have done something good for the area earlier, before joining politics. But now he wants votes, so speaking of change," he charged. 

Kumhrar is dominated by the Kayastha community population-wise, and many other locals contend that Jan Suraaj has picked Sinha, a political debutant and author of several textbooks on mathematics, based on "caste arithmetic." Residents of Kumhrar, Bankipur, Patna Sahib, Digha and Danapur constituencies, falling within the city limits of Patna, voted on Thursday as part of the first phase of the polling. Dr Ranvir Narayan, who voted in Bankipore seat, said a newbie like Jan Suraaj makes "tall promises", but it's "just not cut out for the role yet." Jan Suraaj has also been accused by a section of voters of being the "Team B" of the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre and the main ally of JD(U) in the NDA government in Bihar. 

A party insider, who has been part of the journey of Jan Suraaj since 2022, much before the party was floated and officially launched, claimed the "narrative" has been set by a few leaders who want to "mislead Muslim voters who might align themselves with us." The party, which aspires to build a "prosperous Bihar", was launched in Patna on October 2 last year. Many political commentators and ordinary people questioned the timing of the announcement that came just ahead of the Bihar election. -- PTI