Just hours before the first phase of Bihar’s high-stakes assembly election, the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) suffered a significant setback. One of its own candidates, Sanjay Singh, who was contesting from the Munger Assembly seat, defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday night, dealing an embarrassing blow to Kishor’s fledgling political outfit.

The timing of Singh’s defection — barely a day before Phase 1 polling scheduled for Thursday, November 6 — has not only rattled Jan Suraaj’s ranks but also cast doubts over the party’s internal discipline and candidate loyalty as it attempts to make its electoral debut across all 243 assembly constituencies.

After joining the BJP, Singh publicly pledged his support to NDA nominee Kumar Pranay, the BJP candidate from Munger, effectively withdrawing from the race he had been campaigning for over the past month. At the joining ceremony, attended by local BJP leaders, Singh praised both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, echoing the NDA’s development-oriented narrative.

“Bihar has witnessed tremendous growth under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. I am confident that the state will continue to develop further under the NDA rule,” Singh told reporters shortly after formalizing his switch to the saffron party.

Expressing faith in the ruling alliance’s electoral prospects, Singh said he was “certain that the NDA would secure a decisive victory across the state with a huge margin.” His comments were quickly amplified by BJP leaders, who described the defection as a “sign of growing trust in the NDA’s leadership and governance model.”

Blow to Jan Suraaj’s Momentum

For the Jan Suraaj Party, which has positioned itself as a “clean and independent” alternative to the entrenched political establishment, the defection could not have come at a worse time. Party insiders were reportedly blindsided by Singh’s sudden departure, as he had remained active in campaign events until earlier in the week.

Senior leaders of Jan Suraaj have so far refrained from issuing a formal statement, but sources within the party described the move as “disappointing and unethical,” accusing the BJP of “indulging in opportunistic poaching” ahead of the polls.

The defection highlights the challenges facing Jan Suraaj as it seeks to establish credibility in a political landscape dominated by the NDA and Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). Despite Prashant Kishor’s reputation as a master strategist — having helped craft election victories for several national leaders in the past — his attempt to translate grassroots outreach into an organized electoral force has been fraught with obstacles.

Political observers note that defections of this kind underscore the difficulties of retaining loyalty among candidates with limited political experience or organizational backing.

Cross-Party Exodus Ahead of Polling

Sanjay Singh’s move is not the only example of last-minute political realignments in the run-up to the polls. In a twist that balanced the scales somewhat, the BJP’s own sitting MLA from Pirpainti, Lalan Paswan, joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) after being denied a ticket by his party.

The cross-party defections reflect the fluid nature of Bihar’s electoral politics, where personal ambition, caste dynamics, and shifting alliances often override ideological commitments. With the election being fought on a mix of local and state-level issues — from unemployment and law and order to agricultural distress — every constituency has become a microcosm of Bihar’s complex political reality.

The Bihar Assembly election will take place in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, with results to be declared on November 14. Phase 1, covering 121 constituencies across 18 districts, is expected to see close contests between NDA candidates and those from the RJD-led opposition, while Jan Suraaj’s performance will be closely watched as a test of Prashant Kishor’s political experiment.

The Mokama Flashpoint: Jan Suraaj Worker’s Murder

Adding to the turbulence surrounding the Jan Suraaj campaign, the party has been grappling with the fallout from the murder of one of its supporters, Dularchand Yadav, in Mokama, Patna district. The killing, which occurred last Thursday, triggered widespread outrage and political confrontation after it emerged that JD(U) strongman and candidate Anant Singh had been booked as the main accused in the case.

According to the Patna Police, Yadav was allegedly shot dead inside his vehicle during a campaign trail after a violent altercation between two rival groups. The incident instantly politicized the Mokama contest, already considered one of Bihar’s most volatile constituencies due to its history of criminal-politician clashes.

“It was found that all this happened in the presence of the candidate, Anant Singh, who is also the main accused in the case,” Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma told reporters. “Anant Singh has been arrested. His accomplices, Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram, have also been arrested with him.”

The murder and subsequent arrests have sparked debates over the persistence of “bahubali politics” — the phenomenon of musclemen dominating local elections in Bihar — even as leaders across parties promise reform and clean governance. For Jan Suraaj, which has made political accountability a central theme of its campaign, the killing of one of its own workers has been both a tragedy and a rallying cry. Kishor, who has long criticized the nexus between crime and politics, is expected to highlight the case as evidence of the entrenched lawlessness that still plagues parts of the state.

The Political Stakes

The twin developments — a defection from within and a violent incident targeting one of its workers — have put Jan Suraaj under considerable pressure just as Bihar heads into its first round of polling. While the party’s leadership has sought to project resilience, the timing of these events could affect voter perception, especially in constituencies where it was banking on emerging as a third alternative.

Meanwhile, the BJP has seized on Singh’s defection to showcase the NDA’s growing strength ahead of voting. Party spokespersons in Patna emphasized that “people from all walks of life, including rival candidates, are now aligning with the NDA’s vision of development and stability.”

Analysts caution that while high-profile defections may generate short-term headlines, their electoral impact remains uncertain. Much will depend on the local arithmetic and whether voters view these moves as pragmatic or opportunistic.

As Bihar readies itself for the first phase of polling, the shifting allegiances, violent flashpoints, and deepening rivalries underscore the intensity of this election — one that could redefine alliances and recalibrate political power in the state.

For Prashant Kishor and Jan Suraaj, the coming days will be a litmus test — not just of electoral strength, but of whether a grassroots-driven, reformist platform can withstand the pressures of Bihar’s turbulent political terrain.