Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has rejected claims by political strategist Prashant Kishor that the party is pressuring its candidates to withdraw from the upcoming Bihar elections.
Kishor, who led the Jan Suraaj campaign, alleged that several party nominees faced intimidation, with some prevented from filing nominations and others coerced into withdrawing. Among the candidates he cited were Akhilesh Shah from Danapur, Dr. Satyadev Tiwari from Brahmapur, and Dr. Shashi Shekhar Sinha from Gopalganj. He also accused BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan of playing a key role in influencing the withdrawals and said that 14 candidates have faced intimidation in various forms.
Responding to the allegations, BJP Road Construction Minister Nitin Nabin questioned Kishor’s claims, asking why the strategist himself did not contest the elections. “When the leader himself leaves the field, how long will his workers survive?” he said. “Prashant Kishor fled before the elections, and now he blames us for his party candidates leaving the field.”
Nabin added that if a leader is present, party workers remain motivated, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an example. “When a leader contests, the enthusiasm of workers stays high. If the leader leaves, the workers become disheartened,” he said.
Kishor, however, insisted that the BJP’s tactics have intimidated several Jan Suraaj candidates, including a teacher from Valmikinagar who joined the party two years ago and has reportedly been denied his salary since. He alleged that local authorities pressured him after he filed his nomination, claiming his resignation from government service had not been formally accepted.
Despite these challenges, Kishor claimed that while three candidates withdrew under pressure, around 240 remained determined to contest the elections.
