Bettiah/Patna: Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj movement, began a day-long silent fast on Thursday at the historic Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran, framing the act as one of “introspection and atonement” following his party getting zero seats in Bihar assembly elections 2025. State president Manoj Bharti, party officials, assembly candidates and workers from across the state joined him at the venue.
Kishor has said he is taking moral responsibility for the party’s poor showing and for what he described as a failure to effectively communicate Jan Suraaj’s message during three years of outreach. In a media interaction earlier this week, he stressed that the fast was “not a political demonstration” but an exercise in accountability. “When the message does not reach the public, the leadership must evaluate itself,” he said.
The choice of Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram — a site associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s early experiments in truth, service and self-purification — is laden with symbolism. Party insiders said Kishor viewed the location as an appropriate place to reassess his political journey and the organisation’s direction.
Preparations for the fast were completed early in the morning, with a pandal, stage and seating set up within the ashram premises. Local administration officials were deployed to manage security and crowd movement.
Senior functionaries of Jan Suraaj, district leaders and former candidates are expected to remain with Kishor until the fast concludes. The party said the exercise would help redefine its strategies, strengthen internal communication and provide “a new moral and organisational direction” after its electoral setback.
The silent fast, it added, marked an important turning point for both Prashant Kishor and Jan Suraaj as they attempt to regroup and rethink their political approach.
