Gaya – Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor has declared that his party will not field Muslim candidates in seats where Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has nominated Muslim candidates. He called on Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD to make a similar commitment if they are serious about consolidating votes against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing questions on Muslim vote division, Kishor said his decision was unilateral and aimed at avoiding splits. “If RJD is so concerned about Muslims, they should declare they would not field Muslim candidates in seats where we field Muslims. I have already made that decision. If they want to defeat BJP, they should match it,” he said.
JSP had earlier pledged to nominate Muslim and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) candidates in proportion to their population. Muslims make up nearly 17 percent of Bihar’s population, with high numbers in districts such as Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, and Purnia. They are also present in Darbhanga, Madhubani, Rohtas, Nalanda, Patna, Munger, and Bhagalpur. EBCs form 36 percent of the population, including more than 10 percent from the Muslim community.
RJD dismissed Kishor’s remarks, saying the party does not focus on “attention-seeking” tactics. Tejashwi Yadav had earlier played down JSP’s relevance, noting it does not have a single MP or MLA.
Kishor, whose mass outreach exercise had slowed in recent months, appears to be reworking his strategy as election campaigns gain momentum in Bihar.
