Patna: As Bihar gears up for the 2025 Assembly elections, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj Party (JSP) has started revealing its candidates, releasing the second list of 65 nominees on Monday. Earlier, the party had announced 51 candidates, bringing the total to 116 candidates out of the state’s 243 assembly seats.
Following the model of previous elections, JSP is heavily relying on “parachute candidates”, bringing in leaders from other parties. Of the 116 candidates so far, 33 are former members of parties like BJP, JDU, RJD, Congress, and CPI-M, reflecting Kishor’s strategy of leveraging experienced politicians to gain electoral ground.
Notable nominations include:
- Hemant Chaubey from Chainpur, son of former BJP MP Lalmuni Chaubey.
- Tathagat Harshvardhan from Buxar, former Congress district president and son of ex-Central Minister KK Tiwari.
- Ratneshwar Thakur from Harlakhi, formerly of CPI-M.
- Mantosh Sahni from Kalyanpur, previously with JDU.
- Satyendra Hazra from Sonvarsha, a four-time Congress MLA.
- Valmiki Singh from Bakhtiyarpur, former JDU MLC and Nitish Kumar associate.
- Rajeshwar Manjhi from Masaurhi, who has switched from JDU to RJD and Jeetan Ram Manjhi’s party.
- Ikramul Haq from Thakurganj, previously RJD.
- Durga Prasad Singh from Ujiarpur, ex-RJD MLA.
- Dasai Chaudhary from Pathepura, formerly NCP.
JSP’s candidate lists also feature several recent entrants from BJP, JDU, Congress, and regional parties, including: Lal Babu Prasad (Dhaka, ex-BJP), Dinesh Kumar (Biharsharif, ex-Mayor, JDU), Archana Chandra Yadav (Nabinagar, ex-BJP), Sitaram Dukhari (Goh, ex-JDU), Ritesh Pandey (Kargahar, ex-BJP), Lata Singh (Asthwan, RCP Singh’s daughter), Jagriti (Morwa, Karpoori Thakur’s granddaughter), Jayanti Patel (Khagaria, ex-JDU), Sunil Kumar (Lauriya, ex-BSP), and Brajkishore Pandit (Belhar, ex-Asha Party).
The party’s approach reflects Kishor’s belief in combining experienced political figures with strategic seat placements to create a viable third front in Bihar. By relying on established local leaders, JSP hopes to attract votes across multiple communities and regions, including traditional Congress, JDU, and BJP strongholds.
With these announcements, Jan Suraj has now positioned 116 candidates across 243 seats, setting the stage for a competitive fight against established parties in Bihar. Observers note that the success of parachute candidates will be crucial in determining whether JSP can convert its strategy into electoral victories.
