NEW DELHI: In Bihar’s fiercely contested political arena, where elections are expected to be announced in the coming week, it is not the opposition Grand Alliance but newcomer Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj that has rattled the NDA’s top leadership with a series of forensic, document-backed allegations—turning political skirmishes into a high-stakes test of credibility for the ruling camp.
Each allegation has been accompanied by files, dates and names—a departure from the usual sloganeering of Bihar’s opposition politics—forcing the ruling camp into issuing clarification after clarification, often with limited impact.
In the initial phase of his campaign, Kishor’s attacks were directed not only at the ruling NDA but also at the RJD, questioning its governance record, corruption cases, and dynastic politics. This positioned Jan Suraj as a third force, distinct from both the government and the traditional opposition. At the time, the Grand Alliance leaders publicly dismissed Kishor as the “B Team of the BJP” accusing him of running a covert strategy to divide the anti-NDA vote. That label has since been overturned as Kishor’s campaign has grown sharper and more targeted against the NDA’s state leadership.
From state party president Dilip Jaiswal, to Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal, to deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, senior JDU leader and CM Nitish Kumar’s close aide Ashok Choudhary, and other state figures—all have found themselves under public scrutiny after being named by Jan Suraj in a steady stream of disclosures.
Dilip Jaiswal has been accused of illegally wresting control of MGM Medical College—a minority Sikh trust—through political muscle, and of benefitting from quid pro quo deals in what Jan Suraj leaders have described as the “ambulance scam,” involving irregularities in the procurement of over 1,200 vehicles with the help of then health minister Mangal Pandey. He has also been singled out as part of Bihar’s “political mafia” nexus. Jaiswal and the BJP have rejected the charges, calling them politically motivated; they insist the financial transactions in question were legitimate, pointing to how he obtained loan repayments, and that the procurement was court monitored.
Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary faces revived allegations from a 1995 seven-person murder case in Tarapur, where Kishor claims his name figures as an accused. Last week, the state president of Jan Suraj wrote a formal letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding immediate action against Choudhary in light of these charges. PK has also questioned the authenticity of Choudhary’s academic qualifications, pointing to how he obtained a D.Litt despite not clearing Class 10, and accused him of using multiple names and forged documents—controversies that BJP itself had raised against him back in 1999. Choudhary has dismissed these charges as slander, arguing that old and irrelevant issues are being dragged out for political mileage. He has threatened legal action, while the party has defended his credentials as legitimate.
Similarly, Sanjay Jaiswal has been targeted over alleged petrol pump irregularities and misuse of government coupons. He has denied all wrongdoing, stated the assets are not in his name, and announced plans to sue Kishor for defamation.
Even Ashok Choudhary, a senior JDU leader and Nitish Kumar’s close aide, has not been spared. Jan Suraj has repeatedly flagged land deals and institutional decisions during his tenure as education minister that allegedly benefitted private interests.
What makes this politically significant is that the Grand Alliance has remained deliberately silent, letting Kishor lead the charge and thereby allowing Jan Suraj to steadily weaken the NDA’s image while conserving their own political capital.
BJP party leaders, however, maintain that NDA’s political capital has not been dented by Jan Suraj’s campaign. But they agree that the party is struggling to project a clean, state-wide leader. Most senior figures have limited regional appeal, and the taint attached through Jan Suraj’s accusations has made it politically risky to elevate any one of them as CM face if the NDA returns to power. Among those whose names have surfaced in this political churn, Sanjay Jaiswal is being described by party leaders as the strongest contender.
