Latest news with #PrashantKishor
Mint
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
When are Bihar Elections 2025 expected to be held?
The Bihar Elections will be held between October and November this year. The polls are likely to see a tight contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU), and the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. Advertisement This year, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party is all set to make a debut in the Bihar Elections and contest all the 243 assembly seats. When are Bihar Elections expected to be held? While the Election Commission (EC) has yet to announce the poll schedule, the elections are expected to take place before November 22, 2025. According to the Election Commission's data, the term of the 243-member Bihar Assembly ends on November 22. By that time, the whole election process — including voting, counting and declaration of the Chief Minister — must be completed. Voting for all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar may be held sometime in October or November this year. The model code of conduct can be implemented between September and October. Advertisement Meanwhile, sources told India Today TV that the Bihar 2025 Assembly elections will likely be conducted in two to three phases. Moreover, the poll schedule is expected to be planned, keeping in view major festivals like Diwali and Chhath Puja, sources said. In the last two assembly elections, voting in Bihar took place in multiple phases. In the 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections, the voting took place in three phases — 71 constituencies voted on October 28, 94 constituencies voted on November 3, and 78 constituencies voted on November 7. The election results were declared on November 10. In 2015, the Bihar elections were held in five phases. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce official dates for the Bihar Elections 2025. Advertisement While the NDA, consisting of BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will be once again looking to continue their stint in Bihar, INDIA bloc – consisting of RJD, Congress, and left parties – will be looking to unseat Nitish Kumar.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Prashant Kishor slapped with defamation suit by Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary
Bihar Minister Ashok Choudhary filed a defamation suit against Prashant Kishor for alleging he bribed Chirag Paswan to secure a Lok Sabha ticket for his daughter. Choudhary demands Kishor prove the bribery claim or apologize, vowing to pursue the matter to the Supreme Court if necessary. He criticized Kishor as a 'political trader' unable to accept his daughter's success. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Bihar minister and senior JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary on Tuesday filed a defamation suit against Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor for alleging that he had bribed Union minister Chirag Paswan to secure a Lok Sabha ticket for his whose daughter Shambhavi is Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP from the reserved constituency of Samastipur, spoke to journalists at the civil court."After Prashant Kishor made objectionable remarks against my daughter and me, I sent him a legal notice, to which his reply was unsatisfactory. He clearly has no regret for what he had said," the JD(U) national general secretary said."I have therefore taken recourse to legal remedy. I challenge Prashant Kishor to prove that I had paid money to Chirag Paswan or withdraw his allegations with an apology. I am determined to take this fight to the Supreme Court, if the need arises," he described Kishor, a former poll strategist who had been briefly associated with the JD(U), as "a political trader, who has offered his services to parties of all hues for a fee"."In contrast, we are purely in politics. I am myself a second-generation politician. My daughter is the youngest MP. Prashant Kishor is unable to digest this feat of a Dalit girl," alleged Choudhary, a key aide of Chief Minister Nitish late father Mahavir Choudhary had been a minister when the state was ruled by the who has been digging in his heels since Choudhary threatened him with legal action, was not immediately available for comments on the latest development.
India Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Pakistan wanted ceasefire out of fear": Prashant Kishor criticises government's cessation of hostilities decision
East Champaran (Bihar) [India], June 1 (ANI): Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor openly questioned the Indian government's decision to agree to a cessation of hostilities with Pakistan, suggesting it may have been a missed opportunity for the Indian Army to push its advantage further. He said that Pakistan initiated the cessation, indicating that Pakistan was under pressure and fearful of defeat. 'I'm thinking, if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire, that means our army was doing a good job, we were defeating Pakistan. It must have been out of fear that Pakistan wanted a ceasefire. So if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire, why did we agree to it? The Army should have let it go on for two more days,' he said during a press conference in East Champaran on Saturday. He also praised External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, calling him 'very educated and sensible.' 'Regarding the issue of the ceasefire, our country's EAM Jaishankar is a very educated and sensible person. I have great respect for him. I read his statement where he said the ceasefire was done at Pakistan's initiative,' he added. According to Kishor, the situation on the ground suggested that India's military was in control. 'That's exactly what our army personnel are saying, what the citizens of this country are saying, that during the fight, we had them on the back foot, sirens were going off, people were hiding, Pakistan was on the defensive, begging for a ceasefire.' Kishor was referring to External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar's comments in which he had said that it was the militaries of the two nations that negotiated directly and resolved the conflict through agreement and understanding for a cessation of fire and military action. He went on to challenge claims made by foreign leaders about who led peace efforts. 'Although, Trump was being told something else, that we did it, we deserve a Nobel Peace Prize, we brought peace, we intimidated them. But why should we believe what Trump said? We will believe our own Foreign Minister.' On May 23, days after United States President Donald trump claimed that he played a role in settling the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated that it was the militaries of the two nations that negotiated directly. In an interview with Danish media TV2 Channel, S Jaishankar said, 'We resolved that conflict for the moment in its particular military form through agreement and understanding for a cessation of firing and military action. This was something that we negotiated directly between the militaries of the two countries. The trigger for it was that, after we had had fighting for a few days, we hit them very hard on a particular morning, the morning of the 10th, to be precise. That caused the Pakistanis to say, OK, you know, we're prepared to stop the firing and, you know, reach an understanding about how to deal with it,' Prashant Kishor's statement comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly election to be held in October-Novembe this year wherein the NDA, which consists of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will be once again looking forward to returning to power. In contrast, the INDIA Bloc will be giving competition to the incumbent Nitish Kumar government. (ANI)
India Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"People want a change in Bihar': Jan Suraaj Founder Prashant Kishor
East Champaran (Bihar) [India], May 31 (ANI): Jan Suraaj Founder Prashant Kishor on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and said that people from Bihar want a change in the state, education for their kids, employment, and freedom from corruption. Speaking to the mediapersons, on Bihar Badlav Yatra, Prashant Kishor said, 'People want a change in Bihar, education for their kids, employment, freedom from corruption... They want to remove the BJP and Lalu Yadav...' He also launched an attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and accused him of forgetting the names of his fellow members of the Council of Ministers due to his bad psychological and physical condition. 'I have been telling people for the last three months that Nitish Kumar's psychological and physical condition is so bad that he cannot even name his fellow members of the Council of making him the custodian of Bihar, the BJP is imposing Nitish Kumar on the heads of the youth of Bihar,' Kishor said. When asked about Tej Pratap Yadav, Prashant Kishor said, 'It is an internal matter of his house... What does Laluji's son do and what does he not do, whom does he marry, and whom does he leave? What do the people of Bihar want to take from this?...' Recently, Lalu Prasad Yadav announced that Tej Pratap Yadav had been expelled for six years for a serious breach of moral and social values. Taking to social media platform X, Lalu said that his son's activities, public conduct and behaviour were not in line with family traditions and values. Lalu Yadav stated that disregarding ethical values in personal life weakens the collective struggle for social justice.' The activities, public behaviour, and irresponsible conduct of my eldest son are not in line with our family's values and cultural ethos. Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice. The activities, public conduct and irresponsible behaviour of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions,' Lalu stated in a post on X. The Bihar Assembly elections are expected to be held in October and November this year, wherein the NDA, which consists of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will be once again looking forward to returning to power. In contrast, the INDIA Bloc will be giving competition to the incumbent Nitish Kumar government. (ANI)
Mint
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Five key reasons why Bihar election 2025 is high-stakes contest — shifting loyalties, popularity swings and Op Sindoor
Bihar's top political leaders — Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav and the new entrant Prashant Kishor — have started setting the tone for the upcoming elections as suspense grows over seat-share formulas and the chief minister's face. After Operation Sindoor, this will be the first election in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Bihar on Thursday, May 29 to inaugurate a slew of projects. Few days back, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, launched the Congress' campaign 'Nyay Samvad' to understand people's 'grief and problems.' The Assembly Elections in Bihar are expected to be held in October-November this year. The main battle is likely to be between the National Democratic Alliance [NDA] and the Mahagathbandh. However, a pre-poll opinion survey suggests that Prashant Kishor may gain some popularity. As the race for Bihar CM post begins, here are five factors that make the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar important. The Bihar Election 2025 will be the first election the country will witness after Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 by the Indian armed forces in response to the April 2022 Pahalgam terror attack. Will the timing of the election prove beneficial for the ruling NDA? As speculations mount, the BJP and the Congress have traded barbs over the "politicisation of Operation Sindoor". Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP of politicising the 'Operation Sindoor' when reports had surfaced that PM Modi will meet Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states over Operation Sindoor. "What is the mistake of the CMs of Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, HP, Punjab, J&K? What is this if not politicisation?," Ramesh had then said. Meanwhile, a poll by 'VOTE VIBE' revealed that 59 percent of those surveyed believe PM Modi "should get credit for Operation Sindoor." The report said, "The support increases with age 55+ group [shows 68.7% support]; younger voters are comparatively more skeptical..." Best known as a political consultant and strategist, Prashant Kishor has vowed to contest and win the Bihar Elections 2025. This time, he won't be making strategies, but tread the waters himself. Last in May, Prashant Kishor had exuded confidence that his Jan Suraaj Party will win in Bihar "on its own" in 2025. He had said in an interview with India Today, 'Jan Suraaj will contest [all] 242 assembly seats [in Bihar] and will come to power with a majority.' However, his newly launched Jan Suraaj party failed to make an impact in the bypolls in Bihar. Candidates of the Prashant Kishor-led group lost deposits in all but one seat in November 2024. Kishor, however, had then brushed off concerns about the poll outcome, highlighting the fact that his party won 10% of the total votes polled in the four seats. Besides, in a significant political development in Bihar ahead of the Assembly polls, former Union minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh has merged his political outfit, Aap Sabki Awaz (ASA), with the Jan Suraaj Party. Patna, Bihar, India -May .19, 2025: Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor with former BJP MP Uday Singh greet with each other during joined the party, in Patna. Prashant Kishor announced Uday Singh chosen as the party's first national president at Jan Suraj Camp, Patliputra Golambar in Patna, Bihar, India, Monday,19. 2025.(Photo by Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times) Speculations are rife that Nishant Kumar, the son of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, may contest the 2025 Bihar elections from Harnaut constituency. The rumours started after JD(U) supporters put up a poster outside the party office in Patna in support of CM Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar, news agency ANI reported. The posters reportely read 'Bihar ki maang, sun liye Nishant, bahut bahut dhanyawaad (Nishant, thank you very much for listening to the demands of Bihar)." Patna, Bihar, India -March .16, 2025: People looking poster of Nishant Kumar, son of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar put up outside of JDU office in Patna, Bihar, India, Sunday,16, 2025.(Photo by Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times) The reports about Nishant Kumar's election debut surfaced as opposition leaders raised concerns about father Nitish Kumar's health. Prashant Kishor said earlier, 'Nitish Kumar is physically tired and mentally unfit.' RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also once referred to Nitish Kumar as a "tired" Chief Minister. On Nitish Kumar's birthday, Tejashwi took a jibe, saying, 'A 15-year-old vehicle doesn't run, so why should a 20-year-old government?' Several opinion polls suggest that RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav is the top choice for the next Bihar Chief Minister. One of the opinion polls revealed that while the popularity of Yadav and Nitish Kumar declined, that of Prashant Kishor rose in six months. The C-Voter survey, accessed by Mint, suggested that Tejashwi Yadav was the most preferred candidate to be the next Bihar Chief Minister, followed by Prashant Kishor, making Nitish Kumar the third choice. As per the C-Voter survey, Nitish Kumar's popularity dropped by 3 percent — from 18 percent in February 2025 to 15 percent in April. It showed that Tejashwi Yadav's popularity declined from 40.6 percent in February to 35.5 percent in April. Meanwhile, that of Prashant Kishor's increased by around two percent — from 14.9 per cent to 17.2 percent. Another opinion poll released by InkInsight also placed Tejashwi Yadav as the top choice for the Bihar CM post. It put Nitish Kumar in the second spot. Patna, Bihar, India -May .03, 2025:Leader of Opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addressing during Ati Pichra Sammelan at Millar School ground in Patna, Bihar, India, Saturday,03. 2025.(Photo by Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times) It was only last year that Nitish Kumar switched alliances for the fifth time. It was just before the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections when Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and joined hands withe the BJP. As per the InkInsight opinion poll, 47.5 percent of those polled believed that jumping ships before elections may have cost Nitish Kumar credibility "to some extent", while around 26.6 percent believed Kumar lost credibility to a "large extent". Around 25.9 percent said it did not impact his credibility. The C-Voter survey also suggested that "pendulum swings" by Nitish Kumar in the last 10 years may have taken a hit at Nitish Kumar's "credibility and popularity".
