As Bihar gears up for its high-stakes assembly elections, political strategist-turned-leader Prashant Kishor has received unexpected accolades from a senior Rajya Sabha member for his unconventional and impactful political approach.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh commended Kishor and his Jan Suraaj Party for raising critical issues that mainstream political parties have long overlooked. He noted that while these issues may take time to gain widespread traction, Kishor’s efforts could potentially translate into electoral gains in the upcoming polls.

“Issues that mainstream parties have neglected are being raised by the Jan Suraaj Party. However, these fundamental questions will take a long time to resolve. He may win some seats. Historically, Left parties like CPI and CPI(M) were strong, and even today, they remain influential. The matters Kishor has highlighted are now also being voiced by other parties, but not on such a scale,” Harivansh observed.

Drawing a historical parallel, Harivansh compared Kishor’s political emergence to the early years of the Socialist Party under leaders Jayaprakash Narayan and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia. He recalled how the Socialist Party, despite modest beginnings and initial electoral confidence post-1952, gradually shaped public discourse and left a lasting imprint by 1967. In a similar vein, Harivansh suggested, the questions raised by Prashant Kishor and his group will require time to resonate widely across the state.

The upcoming Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11, with results to be declared on November 14. Within the NDA alliance, the BJP and JD(U) are contesting 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party will contest 29 seats, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Hindustani Awam Morcha six seats each.

The principal contest is set to be between the NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the INDIA alliance, spearheaded by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, which is seeking to unseat the incumbent government. Harivansh’s remarks underscore a growing recognition in Bihar’s political circles that Kishor has succeeded in shifting the narrative, even as the electoral outcome remains uncertain.