Celebrated election strategist Prashant Kishore announced that his Jan Suraaj Abhiyan will be converted into a political party. The Jan Suraaj Padyatra, which started on 2 October 2022, will take the form of a political party on 2 October 2024, he added.
The decision was taken on Sunday (June 9) at the Bapu Auditorium in Gyan Bhavan, Patna. Thousands of people associated with the organization of Jan Suraaj participated in a one-day dialogue program.
A total of three proposals were brought at the event. All members of Jan Suraaj Abhiyan unanimously passed all proposals. The first proposal was brought that when should Jan Suraaj be declared as a political party. On this, all the people unanimously fixed the date of October 2, 2024. The second proposal was brought about Jan Suraaj's participation in the elections on all 243 seats in Bihar. On this proposal also, all the people gave their unanimous consent. The third proposal passed was that Jan Suraaj will ensure participation of all sections of the society in the organization and tickets will be given according to their numbers. Everyone unanimously passed this proposal as well.
Kishore, the architect of Jan Suraaj, while addressing the event said that Jan Suraaj will also ensure the participation of women in the upcoming assembly elections. At least one woman will be fielded from one assembly seat falling within every Lok Sabha constituency.
A committee formed for the constitution of Jan Suraaj was given permission to formulate the constitution. The Jan Suraaj also gave suggestions regarding the constitution of the party. Kishore appealed to the members of the Jan Suraaj organization to strengthen the organization at the booth, panchayat, block and district level and make the door-to-door Jan Suraaj campaign a success.
Earlier two years ago, Kishor announced that he had had his fill as a backroom operator for leading political players of the country and that he now intended to create a platform of like-minded people named 'Jan Suraaj' aimed at transforming his home state Bihar. While he brushed aside speculation that he would announce the setting up of a new party, Kishore held out the possibility of Jan Suraaj metamorphosing into a political party at a latter stage.
Kishor came out with an outline of his project, titled 'Jan Suraaj', drawing inspiration from Gandhi's aphorism of "the best politics is right action", at a crowded press conference here, days after he had announced his decision to go back "to the Real Masters – the people".
Kishore, who founded the political consultancy IPAC and who has worked with both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his arch rival Lalu Prasad, credited the two leaders with achievements in terms of social and economic empowerment in the last three decades.
Kishore ducked queries as to whether he fancied himself as the Chief Ministerial candidate after he formed a party but debunked the suggestion that being a Brahmin placed him at a disadvantage in caste-ridden Bihar where politics has been dominated by OBCs since the Mandal agitation.
