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Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), has accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of coercing and intimidating his party candidates, forcing them to withdraw from the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Kishor claimed that three candidates, namely Dr. Shashi Sekhar Sinha from Gopalganj Sadar, Akhilesh Kumar alias Mutur Sao from Danapur, and Dr. Satya Prakash Tiwari from Brahmapur, were forced to withdraw their nominations due to threats or inducements. He claimed that senior physician Sinha abruptly withdrew his nomination from Gopalganj Sadar, citing health reasons, even though he had actively campaigned for three days. In Danapur, Sao failed to file his nomination papers on the last day and remained unreachable for several hours. Later, we learned that he was with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Kishor alleged. In the Brahmapur constituency, Tiwari filed his nomination papers only to withdraw them shortly after. Kishor compared the alleged coercion to the Surat model, where a BJP candidate was elected unopposed after other candidates withdrew. He said, The BJP is trying to replicate the Surat model, in which their candidate got elected unopposed, as all other nominees were coerced to pull out. The Jan Suraaj Party will now contest on 240 seats after three candidates withdrew their nominations. Kishor has called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to intervene in this matter and ensure candidates' safety during the elections. He said if the ECI can't protect candidates from coercion, it can't protect voters either. He also predicted that over 50 lakh migrant workers returning for festivals would vote against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), leading to its defeat. Kishor also predicted that the BJP would meet a similar fate in Bihar as it did in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said, They will vote for their future and for shaping...of the coming generation. Look at the condition of the party that called Jan Suraaj a vote-cutter and said we have no identity. The polling process has begun, and NDA is terrified. Responding to Kishor's allegations, Union Minister Chirag Paswan dismissed his party as a spent force.
