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Prashant Kishor and Jan Suraaj: Can the strategist really transform Bihar politics?

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Beyond party organisation and appeal, Prashant Kishor has the ability – in a resource-poor state – to channel and pool resources to run an elaborate campaign. (PTI)Beyond party organisation and appeal, Prashant Kishor has the ability – in a resource-poor state – to channel and pool resources to run an elaborate campaign. (PTI)

Prashant Kishor (PK) has walked many paths: In the corridors of power in New Delhi, the multiple states that he helped his political clients in as an election strategist and political consultant, and when he is just walking along the dusty bylanes in villages in Bihar during his Jan Suraaj padayatra. On October 2, he formally launched his Jan Suraaj Party with a sense of purpose. He emphasised the need to transform Bihar’s politics and urged its voters to think differently about representative democracy. His appeal was to rise above social and kinship identities and caste and think about issues like jobs, education, healthcare, etc. Such a call is not new to Bihar’s politics. From Karpoori Thakur’s first wave of the politics of social justice to Lalu Prasad and the democratic churning with increased participation and representation of backward castes and even with Nitish Kumar’s politics of good governance, “transformations” have been common from a historical perspective. While they may have mixed records, each has left a deep impact on the politics of the state.

PK’s recent call for transformation at a time when voters in Bihar have witnessed more than three decades of rule by either Lalu or Nitish. While the RJD has settled the question of political succession for Lalu Yadav in the form of Tejashwi Yadav, the JD(U) is still dependent on Nitish Kumar (even though some believe his popularity is waning) and hasn’t found a replacement or successor with pan-Bihar appeal. PK may be looking to fill what may be a political and leadership void.

A major structural difference between Jan Suraaj and several small caste-based parties emerging on the electoral field in Bihar 0– Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM), etc — is that PK is not catering to a single caste identity and is aiming for a broader coalition of voters from among Dalits, Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs), Muslims as well as from the upper castes and middle classes. While Bihar is among the least urbanised states in India, improved law and order and some economic growth have led to an increased number of the middle-class and affluent people. They are not just from the traditional elites in rural and peri-urban areas. There is better connectivity through an improved network of roads, an increased exchange of ideas via social media and mass media among different regions in Bihar. Using his extensive padyatra across the state, PK has leveraged his credibility and image as a “success”.

The padyatra was preceded by a carefully orchestrated phase portraying PK as a leader and thinker through initiatives like Youth ki Awaaz and Baat Bihar Ki. This phase also focussed on the youth, women and social media creators. The PK Youth club, established at the panchayat level, has been initiated in thousands of panchayats already and each club has about 100 members. Through these clubs, young people are actively involved in the Jan Suraaj movement, while also keeping them engaged by hosting cultural events and sports tournaments. Additionally, more than 25,000 young men and women from Bihar have received training in content creation and YouTube under a dedicated campaign by Jan Suraaj, ensuring the party’s vibrant social media presence. Extending scholarships for female students to cover their college education under the Jan Suraaj Medha Chhatravritti Scheme has also been a way of reaching out to young women voters.

The professionalisation and corporatisation of operations and the authority that PK has brought from his previous experiences with I-PAC is new to Bihar’s electoral field. Political parties mobilise voters either on identity or ideology, sometime both. The technocratic appeal of the Jan Suraaj party, which is foregrounded on PK’s success is enigmatic and aspirational in equal measure. A similar point is conveyed by presence of a litany of former civil servants and retired bureaucrats who shared the stage at the Patna Veterinary Grounds with PK on October 2. The choice of a retired IFS officer — Manoj Bharti – the party’s first working president is indicative of its technocratic leaning. However, the fact that Bharti “happens to be a Dalit” (as PK said in his speech) clearly suggests an undertone of identity politics.

Festive offer

Beyond party organisation and appeal, PK has the ability – in a resource-poor state – to channel and pool resources to run an elaborate campaign. This is very different from the organic mobilisations of the RJD or CPI-ML, whose supporters come to their rallies packing their own sattu-gud, often making long journeys on foot. This is not to romanticise an RJD or CPI-ML supporter against someone who is influenced by the Jansuraaj movement, but to contextualise the different kinds of mobilisation. For a long period the common saying in Bihar went, “Vikas nahi samaan chahiye” (We don’t want development, we want dignity/respect) as pointed out by anthropologist Jeffrey Witsoe. This period was immediately succeeded by a period in which the politics of development and good governance was key to the electoral discourse. The journey from swabhimaan to sushasan was an important one for Bihar. But it has not yet reached a destination. The big question now is: Will PK and Jan Suraaj usher in the post-swabhimaan phase in the state? The answer, my friend, might be blowing in the wind.

Bagchi, teaches courses on politics and democracy in Ahmedabad University. Singh is an Independent Researcher based in the NCR

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