Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of “intimidating” his party’s candidates and forcing them to withdraw their nominations from key constituencies in Bihar.
Addressing a press conference at Shekhpura House in Patna, Kishor alleged that the BJP was using pressure tactics because they fear losing ground in the upcoming assembly polls. “The BJP has always projected that no matter who wins, they will form the government. But this time, it is Jan Suraaj that has shaken their confidence,” he said.
Kishor claimed that in Danapur, the BJP detained Jan Suraaj candidate Akhilesh Kumar alias Mutur Shah and prevented him from filing his nomination. According to him, Shah was allegedly kept the entire day with senior BJP leaders, including the Home Minister and the state election in-charge.
“People were told that he was held hostage by RJD goons, but he was actually sitting with the Home Minister of India. The Election Commission must take note of this. How can a Home Minister keep a candidate by his side to stop him from filing his papers?” Kishor said, calling it “the real face and conduct of the BJP”.
Kishor accused Pradhan of playing a “key role” in coercing three Jan Suraaj candidates to withdraw. He also released a photograph purportedly showing Pradhan with Jan Suraaj’s Brahampur nominee, Dr Satya Prakash Tiwari.
The BJP is yet to respond to Kishor’s allegations.
“In Brahampur, where a muscleman from the LJP is contesting, our candidate, Dr Tiwari, a respected doctor who runs a major hospital in Patna, suddenly withdrew after campaigning for three days. The picture of him with Dharmendra Pradhan at his home is proof of the pressure exerted on him,” Kishor alleged. “It is unprecedented that a Union Minister meets an opposing candidate after elections are declared.”
The Jan Suraaj founder further alleged that BJP leaders in Gopalganj pressured Dr Shashi Shekhar Sinha, the party’s candidate and son-in-law of local political leader Raghunath Pandey, to withdraw. “Till two days ago, he was campaigning actively. He even called me to say he was being pressured but would stay with the party. Two hours later, he withdrew his nomination and switched off his phone,” Kishor claimed, adding that other candidates across the state are facing similar pressure and intimidation.
Kishor also claimed that pressure was exerted on Kumhrar candidate Prof K C Sinha, who, he said, was being “threatened repeatedly” to withdraw but refused to yield. He further alleged that the Valmikinagar candidate, Dr Narayan Prasad, a schoolteacher who had resigned two years ago to join Jan Suraaj, was now being intimidated by local officials claiming his resignation had not been accepted and he was ineligible to contest the election.
Questioning the Election Commission, Kishor asked, “If you cannot ensure the safety of candidates, how will you protect the voters? If candidates can be threatened into withdrawing, what will stop parties from terrorising voters on polling day?”
He claimed that 14 Jan Suraaj candidates had faced intimidation and threats, though 240 others remained firm. “We salute those who stood strong. They can threaten and pressure us, but we will fight back,” he said.
Kishor said the BJP was not worried about candidates from the grand alliance but from Jan Suraaj because they were “good professionals, doctors, and businessmen.” “They are not scared of musclemen; they are scared of decent people. This is the fear of Jan Suraaj,” he said.
He appealed to Bihar’s youth “to rise with full strength and overthrow this government so that people don’t have to migrate again”.
Responding to questions on candidate selection, Kishor said that Jan Suraaj had fielded 54 candidates from extremely backward communities and 34 from the Muslim community. “We intended to give 70 tickets to the extremely backward groups but could manage 54, still the highest share ever given by any party to this community,” he said. “To those who accuse others of tokenism towards Muslims, our record shows otherwise. Except in constituencies already having Muslim MLAs, we have given representation wherever possible.”
