Amid rumours that three Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) candidates have withdrawn their nomination papers to join other political outfits, party founder and former poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday (October 21, 2025) accused the BJP of “coercing and threatening” his party’s nominees to pull out of the electoral race. He alleged that the BJP was using “pressure tactics” as it lacked the “courage to fight”.
Three JSP candidates — Akhilesh Kumar Shah alias Mutur Shah (Danapur), Satya Prakash Tiwari (Brahampur), and Shashi Shekhar Sinha (Gopalganj) — have recently withdrawn their nomination papers, each citing different reasons. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Kishor showed photographs of top BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with JSP candidates who had recently withdrawn their nominations.
“Has anyone ever seen in any election senior leaders of one party sit with candidates of another party for an entire day?” Mr. Kishor asked, while addressing the media. “The BJP leaders have coerced and threatened our candidates to withdraw. We’re not afraid, it’s they who lack the courage to fight us. They don’t consider the Mahagatbandhan as a real contender, so they’re trying to crush us instead,” he added.
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Mr. Kishor said that as many as 14 candidates were under pressure from the BJP to withdraw but many had refused to do so. “We’ll not relent, until we defeat the BJP and uproot the NDA. The results will be out on November 14 and the truth will be out for everyone to see. We’ll fight the election and it will be fought with such force that it will leave the NDA reeling,” he said.
The JSP leader displayed a picture showing Mr. Amit Shah, other BJP leaders and the JSP candidate from Danapur constituency. Mr. Kishor alleged, “Mr. Shah was with our party candidate Mutur Shah for the whole day. What will happen when the country’s Home Minister calls you and sits with you the whole day? Naturally, one will come under pressure,” he said.
He said the Danapur candidate had received the party symbol from the State JSP president Manoj Bharti and had started campaigning after filing the nomination. However, he had withdrawn his candidature due to the BJP’s pressure, Mr. Kishor said. The Mahagatbandhan has put up local strongman and incarcerated Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rit Lal Rai as a candidate against former BJP MP from Pataliputra constituency, Ram Kripal Yadav.
Mr. Yadav holds the reputation of an “easily accessible” leader and has begun campaigning in his constituency while Mr. Rai’s brother Pintu Rai, recently released on bail, has begun campaigning on his sibling’s behalf.
Mr. Kishor also displayed a photograph of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the BJP’s Bihar in-charge, with Satya Prakash Tiwari, the Brahampur JSP candidate who has now withdrawn his papers. In the Brahampur seat, the BJP-led NDA alliance partner Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) party’s nominee and strongman Hulas Pandey is contesting against RJD candidate Shambhu Nath.
Mr. Kishor’s third example was Shashi Shekhar Sinha of Gopalganj, who withdrew despite earlier assuring JSP leaders that he would resist pressure.
“He told us on October 20 that he would stand firm, but just two hours later, he withdrew and went incommunicado,” said Mr. Kishor. He claimed senior BJP leaders and a party MLC had visited Dr. Sinha’s residence the day before. Local BJP MLC Rajeev Kumar alias Gappu Babu, however, dismissed the allegations. “The JSP candidate is like our guardian… how can we put pressure on him? An attempt to malign our senior party leaders is nothing but an exercise by Mr. Kishor to increase his TRP,” the BJP MLC told The Hindu over phone. Septuagenarian Sinha had cited his failing health as reason to withdraw from the poll race in Gopalganj.
“What will one do when his children living abroad were put under pressure [by the NDA]?” asked Mr. Kishor.
He further claimed that JSP’s candidate from Valmiki Nagar, Drig Narain Prasad, a former schoolteacher, is facing departmental pressure over his resignation that he had given two years back but is yet to be accepted.
Altogether, 14 JSP candidates — including noted mathematician Prof. K.C. Sinha from Kumhrar constituency — are under pressure to withdraw, but several of them have refused to succumb, he said.
The JSP has put up candidates for all 243 Assembly constituencies in the State.
The two-phase poll is scheduled to be held on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14.
Published – October 21, 2025 04:16 pm IST