Patna: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has moved to an ashram, located on the outskirts of Patna, till the next Bihar assembly elections are over.
Talking to reporters in Darbhanga, Kishor said, “On Tuesday night, I shifted out of the place in Patna where I had been living. The Bihar Navnirman Ashram, situated close to IIT-Patna, shall be my abode till the next assembly polls when the Jan Suraaj Party will, hopefully, make an impact.” He said that all political activities and party operations would be managed directly from the ashram.
Kishor`s Bihar Navnirman Ashram, formerly an orchard, is currently being transformed into an ashram complex as more than 50 tents are being erected across the five-acre property.
Until now, he had been managing his party's affairs from 'Sheikhpura House,' located near the Patna Airport. This residence belongs to former MP and national president of the Jan Suraaj Party, Uday Singh aka Pappu Singh. Kishor is presently criss-crossing various parts of the state as part of the 'Bihar Navnirman Abhiyan' and was in Darbhanga during his tour.
Taking a jibe at the chief minister's residence, he remarked, "Bihar may be the most backward state in the country, but the chief minister's bungalow is the largest in the nation."
In the last assembly election, Jan Suraaj Party`s 233 out of total 238 candidates had lost their security deposits. The party managed to secure the second position in only one constituency and that too when the NDA candidate's nomination was rejected. Jan Suraj secured approximately two percent of the vote.
Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM and Mayawati's BSP performed better in the polls than Kishor`s party. AIMIM contested 28 seats and won 5 of them, securing a vote share of 1.9 percent. In contrast, the BSP—which contested 181 seats—managed to win one seat with a vote share of 1.6 percent.
Even in his native Rohtas district, Kishor`s party lost the elections in all seven assembly constituencies as even In his home constituency of Kargahar, the party received a mere 7.42 percent of the votes. He had not contested the last assembly election.
Kishor is, however, hopeful of performing better in the next assembly election but only time will tell whether his new move to shift to an ashram cuts ice with electors.
