New Delhi/Patna: As Bihar gears up for assembly elections, a new C Voter survey has thrown up surprising results, placing Prashant Kishor second in the race for the state’s top job.
The August survey shows Tejashwi Prasad Yadav remains the most preferred candidate for chief minister with 31% support. However, Kishor, who launched his Jan Suraaj campaign after years as an election strategist, has surged to 22% — up from 15% in February and 16% in June. Current chief minister Nitish Kumar has slipped to third place with 15%, while Chirag Paswan and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary stand at 10% each.
The shift marks a sharp decline for Tejashwi, who commanded 43% support in February. In contrast, Kishor’s steady rise is the only upward trajectory tracked by the survey. According to C Voter founder Yashwant Deshmukh, Kishor’s popularity is “across the board,” unlike Paswan’s limited influence in the last election. He argued Kishor’s appeal cuts into both RJD and BJP vote banks, making it difficult to predict which party would lose more.
Deshmukh drew a comparison with Chirag Paswan’s role in weakening JD(U) in 2020, but noted that Kishor’s support base is broader and has now crossed the crucial 20% threshold. “Prashant Kishor is the only leader whose ratings are consistently increasing,” he said, suggesting the possibility of a triangular contest.
Kishor has been touring Bihar for the past year and a half, building grassroots connections under his Jan Suraaj party’s campaign. His rise comes as the Grand Alliance pushes its Voter Adhikar Yatra and the NDA prepares to launch its own outreach. With shifting voter loyalties, the contest for Bihar appears to be heading into unpredictable territory.
