Patna, Oct 23 (IANS): Jan Suraaj, led by political strategist Prashant Kishor, has made significant changes to its candidates for the upcoming Bihar bypolls.
On Tuesday, the party replaced its candidates for the Tarari and Belagnj Assembly seats due to unforeseen circumstances.
In Tarari, the initial candidate, Lieutenant General (Retired) S.K. Singh, was deemed ineligible to contest the election because his name was not on Bihar's voter list. In response, the party has now fielded Kiran Singh, a social worker known for her contributions to education. She will be contesting the seat in place of S.K. Singh.
For the Belagnj Assembly seat, the original candidate, Professor Khilafat Hussain, declined to run, prompting the party to replace him with Mohammad Amjad, who has prior experience running for the seat in the 2005 and 2010 elections.
The change came after some internal turmoil during the candidate selection process. Earlier, there was chaos during a meeting in Gaya where ticket claimants protested the selection of Khilafat Hussain, reportedly throwing chairs in disagreement. Initially, Amjad's ticket had been revoked, but after Hussain's withdrawal, the party reinstated Amjad as the candidate.
These last-minute adjustments highlight the challenges and complexities involved in election management, even within emerging political movements like Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj.
Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj, addressed the recent changes in the party's candidates for the Bihar bypolls, openly acknowledging the challenges and explaining the reasons behind these adjustments.
“I admit that some might view these changes as a setback for the fledgling party, but I want to say that the party's commitment to transparency and honesty. I want to reassure supporters that while mistakes may happen, the party's efforts would remain sincere and principled,” Kishor said.
He pointed out that the initial candidates, Lt. General (Retired) S.K. Singh for Tarari and Professor Khilafat Hussain for Belagnj, were still present on the stage with the new candidates, reflecting unity and transparency within the party.
He explained that Singh, a respected former army officer who had led troops in Siachen, was disqualified from running in Tarari because his name was listed on the voter roll in Noida, where he had been employed.
“Despite efforts to transfer his registration to Tarari, the request was rejected due to electoral rules,” Kishor said.
Rather than making this a political issue, Kishor decided to move forward with positivity, appointing Kiran Singh, a dedicated social worker, as the new candidate for Tarari.
For the Belagnj seat, Kishor revealed that Mohammad Amjad, the current candidate, had initially suggested Professor Khilafat Hussain as a replacement.
“Amjad has contested elections in the past, but the financial burden of campaigning had been difficult for his family. However, after public and party pressure, Amjad agreed to step back into the race,” he said.