The ruling alliance, JDU and BJP, in Bihar have been pushed to the backfoot by the Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor after he accused few regional leaders of these parties of corruption with documents in his hand. This comes just a few weeks before assembly elections, which has put the BJP in a damage control mode ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar.
Essentially, the BJP has always had enough political firepower against the RJD and Congress, successfully spinning the narrative against the two parties. Issues like dynastic politics and Lalu’s gunda raj have been key weapons to undermine their credibility.
However, Kishor has been upfront about his politics, and his adversaries have been unable to target him convincingly since he has never held a formal position of responsibility. Moreover, he has long been targeting key figures across party lines—both in the ruling camp and the opposition. This time, though, he has come armed with hard data against leaders in the ruling camp.
Prashant Kishor's allegations have been directed at Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary, a close aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kishor claimed that Choudhary acquired land worth ₹200 crore over the past two years. He further alleged that Choudhary, along with his wife, daughter, and sister-in-law purchased land valued at ₹200 crore in the name of an organisation called the Manav Vaibhav Vikas Trust. Notably, the trust is linked to Shambhavi's in-laws.
Kishor also said the series of land purchases began after Shambhavi married the son of the late Acharya Kishor Kunal, a popular IPS officer. Shambhavi later became an MP on a Lok Janshakti Party ticket from Bihar's Samastipur seat.
The barrage of allegations against Nitish's close aide has put pressure on Kumar's "clean image" in politics, as he has been seen as a crusader against corruption. Choudhary therefore has found meagre support from his party colleagues. The JD(U) distanced itself from the minister and instead asked him to explain the charges.
Party leader Neeraj Kumar, citing Nitish Kumar's clean image, said the chief minister had maintained honesty and integrity throughout his political career. He added that Nitish Kumar could not be accused of taking a single penny illegally. “Those who have been accused must answer them. Nitish Kumar means zero tolerance,” Neeraj Kumar said in a post on X.
Similar allegations were also levelled against the BJP deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary. Kishor alleged that Choudhary had a criminal past and raised concerns about his academic qualifications, claiming he never passed the matriculation exam.
Prashant Kishor's accusations have opened up a second strong front, apart from the Mahagathbandhan’s, against the ruling camp, where Nitish Kumar has been at the helm of governance for the past 20 years. Analysts believe that the sharp narrative push against the BJP-NDA will intensify anti-incumbency sentiments, potentially helping the opposition parties attract floating voters.
"This time there are more than one solid block, at least in rhetoric, hitting the BJP and JDU repeatedly. There is also more clarity on anti-NDA content among their opposition leaders and they have been picking it from time to time," a political analyst in Bihar says, "So it will have different results this time, unlike what we say in the last assembly or Lok Sabha elections. They scale may be more inclined away from the ruling bloc."