Situation in Raghopur ‘dire’: Prashant Kishor launches poll campaign from Tejashwi’s family bastion

Patna: Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Saturday launched his election campaign in Bihar, choosing Raghopur – the family bastion of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav – as his starting point.

Speaking to reporters before his visit, Kishor said his party would decide whether he will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections only after the Raghopur event.

Even before reaching Raghopur, PK, as the Jan Suraaj founder is popularly known, took a swipe at Tejashwi, claiming that the news of his visit had already “scared” the RJD leader.

“The situation in Raghopur is still dire. The man, whose parents served as Chief Ministers and who himself was Deputy Chief Minister, represent the constituency, yet nothing has improved. That’s why we’re going to Raghopur. Tejashwi is afraid of my visit,” Kishor said.

Political observers see Kishor’s visit as a bold challenge to Tejashwi’s family bastion and a strategic attempt to position the Jan Suraaj Party as a serious contender in Bihar’s political arena.

Addressing speculation about his links with Jyoti Singh, wife of Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh, Kishor clarified, “Pawan Singh is my friend, but I have had no political meetings with his wife.”

With this move, ‘PK’ has officially kicked off his campaign, and his Raghopur visit is expected to intensify Bihar’s political temperature ahead of the 2025 Assembly polls.

Jan Suraaj Party has already announced the first list of 51 candidates for the Bihar Assembly election 2025.

Among 51 candidates, seven belong to the Scheduled Castes, 17 to the OBCs, and nine to the minority communities.

Uday Singh, the national president of the Jan Suraaj Party, earlier announced that the name of Prashant Kishor is not in the list.

Among the prominent names announced in the first list of the party, Jagriti Thakur, granddaughter of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur, will contest from Morwa.

Lata Singh, daughter of RCP Singh, will contest from Asthawan in Nalanda district. Bhojpuri actor Ritesh Pandey will contest from Kargahar in Rohtas district, and renowned educationist KC Sinha will contest from Kumhrar Assembly constituency in Patna.

IANS