MI Khan, TwoCircles.net
Patna: Election strategist-turned-political activist Prashant Kishor, convenor of Jan Suraj Abhiyan (JSA), is positioning himself as a significant new political force in Bihar ahead of next year’s Assembly polls. Recently, he has focused intensely on appealing to Muslims, a community traditionally aligned with Opposition leader Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Notably, Kishor, commonly known as PK, has yet to make significant inroads with other social groups such as Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extreme Backward Classes (EBCs), Dalits or the influential ‘upper castes’ that predominantly support the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Kishor’s recent activities and statements indicate a concerted effort to attract and influence Muslims, who make up 17.7% of Bihar’s population. He has promised to promote Muslim youth in politics and support their electoral success, aiming to challenge Lalu’s strong Muslim vote base.
Kishor’s repeated meetings with Muslim communities and endorsement of some Muslim leaders are part of his strategy to win over this demographic, which has remained loyal to Lalu’s RJD. However, this raises a crucial question: Why is Kishor concentrating solely on Muslims? Is this approach part of a broader strategy to fragment the Muslim vote and weaken Lalu’s RJD to benefit the BJP in the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls, or is it an effort to establish himself as a viable political alternative in the state?
Despite Kishor’s claims that the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections will be a direct contest between his yet-to-be-formed party and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), his primary target appears to be Lalu Prasad and his family, rather than the ruling BJP or JD-U. Kishor has also launched personal attacks against Lalu and his son Tejashwi Yadav, who is projected as the chief ministerial candidate for the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in 2025.
Tejashwi, who is Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly and former deputy chief minister, is widely viewed as Lalu’s successor.
Kishor faces a substantial challenge in breaking Lalu’s grip on the Muslim vote, given that Muslims have supported Lalu’s RJD and its allies since the early 1990s due to his consistent secular politics, support for Muslim socio-economic issues, opposition to Hindutva forces, and refusal to ally with the BJP, unlike many other so-called secular parties.
Political analyst Soroor Ahmad notes, “Muslims do not vote in a vacuum; they decide based on who supports their interests. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has learned this lesson the hard way. In an era where community security is paramount, no one is likely to buy PK’s narrative. PK lives in a fool’s paradise if he believes that Narendra Modi would not have come to power in 2014 without him.”
Muslims, along with Yadavs — Lalu’s own caste group and a dominant OBC community — constitute the core support base of Lalu’s RJD. Despite being out of power since 2005, except for brief periods in 2015-16 and from January 2022 to early 2024, Lalu and his RJD remain popular and maintain a strong mass support base.
Recently, Kishor announced his intention to field 40 Muslim candidates out of 243 for the upcoming Assembly elections and challenged the RJD to match this commitment, rather than just utilizing Muslims as a vote bank. This marks a reduction from his earlier claim in July 2024, when he had promised 75 Muslim candidates.
In a speech at Patna’s Bapu Sabhaghar, Kishor questioned the underrepresentation of Muslims in the Bihar Assembly, asking, “Why are there only 19 MLAs from the Muslim community in the Bihar Assembly despite their significant numbers?”
He has promised that his party will include Muslims in its organizational structure and has urged the community to help identify and train capable Muslim youth for political roles, offering to sponsor their election campaigns.
Political activist Ghalib Kaleem criticised Kishor, stating, “Why should Muslims trust PK? What has he done for them or any social group so far? He seems more focused on his own political ambitions than on genuine community issues.”
He further argued that Kishor’s politics revolve around financial interests and questioned the sources of his funding, noting, “PK’s history shows he can switch sides if it benefits him financially.”
Arshad Ajmal, a social activist, echoed concerns about Kishor’s funding sources and the transparency of his financial resources. He noted, “It is crucial for PK to clarify where his funds come from. There are rumors about his financial backing, and the lack of transparency is concerning.”
Kaleem added that some Muslim leaders and youth with political aspirations, but lacking a strong base, have joined Kishor’s JSA, often being paid to mobilize support. Additionally, Kishor’s JSA has reportedly hired students from institutions like JMI, Delhi, and TISS to gain ground among Pasmanda Muslims.
“It’s too early to predict the outcome 14 months from now,” said Soroor Ahmad. “But Kishor seems to be inflating his political prospects, much like Nitish Kumar did in 1995 when he was seen as a challenger to Lalu. Ultimately, Nitish’s Samta Party won only seven seats, all in his home district of Nalanda.”
In his bid to attract Muslims, Kishor has accused Lalu’s RJD of exploiting Muslims politically without genuinely promoting or sharing power with them. He has labeled the RJD’s treatment of Muslims as akin to “Bandhua Majdoor” (forced labor) and criticized them for their inaction.
As the election approaches, it will be a significant test for Kishor to determine how effectively he can sway Lalu’s Muslim vote base. Despite his efforts, many Muslims remain loyal to Lalu’s RJD and are skeptical of Kishor’s motives. Sarfuddin Mansuri, a vendor in Phulwarisharif, Patna, summed up the sentiment: “Our leader is only Lalu Prasad. We know him and trust him.”
This view was reinforced by Shams Khan, a young businessman, who said, “Lalu and his party have always stood with the community and have never compromised with communal forces or allied with the BJP.”
Kishor’s JSA, founded in May 2022, aims to enter active politics with a focus on transforming Bihar and initially launched a statewide padyatra to engage with the people, whom he described as the “Real Masters” to understand their grievances and aspirations.