Being in the fray in one of India's most difficult political landscapes, Bihar, against seasoned leaders and parties who have had a grip on the state for decades, is no easy task. Prashant Kishor has learnt this the hard way. However, those who are busy writing the political obituary of his party, the Jan Suraaj, after it drew a blank in the Bihar Assembly election should do it at their own peril. Facts and figures of Jan Suraaj's performance, analysed by India Today Digital, indicate that this has been the political birth of the party from the electoral fire.
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In its debut, the Jan Suraaj Party, despite winning no seats, got a strong 3.4% vote share. It might look small, but the debutant outperformed several established parties. Its candidates ended up in third spot in half the constituencies it contested. A takeaway is, the party's grassroots-driven campaign and issue-based pitch have laid a foundation that suggests Prashant Kishor's political foray is far from a failure.
The Jan Suraaj actually has more vote share than the BSP (which won a single seat bordering UP), the AIMIM (which won five seats), and the three Left parties, combined.
However, a part of this reality is also that 236 of its 238 candidates lost their deposits.
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