Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of coercing three Jan Suraaj Party candidates to withdraw their nominations from the Bihar elections. He urged the Election Commission to take immediate action, calling the incident a direct assault on democracy.
Speaking at a press conference, Kishor claimed that the ruling NDA was so afraid of losing the polls that it had resorted to pressuring opposition candidates to step aside. “Democracy is being murdered. There has been no such precedent in the country,” he said.
Kishor alleged that candidates fielded by Jan Suraaj in the Danapur, Brahampur, and Gopalganj constituencies were forced to withdraw under pressure from BJP leaders. He compared the situation to the “Surat model,” where a BJP candidate was elected unopposed after other contenders were allegedly coerced to back out.
“The BJP should remember that voters have already punished such undemocratic tactics,” Kishor remarked, pointing out that despite claims of winning 400-plus seats, the BJP managed only 240 in last year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Jan Suraaj had announced candidates for all 243 constituencies in Bihar. With three withdrawals, the party will now contest 240 seats as the deadline for filing nominations has expired.
