Patna: Fresh from his victory in the Bankipur Assembly by-election, Jan Suraaj Party leader Prashant Kishor is preparing for a new statewide political campaign, with plans to visit all 38 districts of Bihar after September 15.
Party sources said preparations for the tour have already begun, with Jan Suraaj working on a detailed roadmap. The final programme will be decided by the party’s national executive.
Kishor is expected to travel in phases, covering three to four districts at a time. The tour could begin in Champaran and conclude in Patna after covering the rest of the state.
The proposed campaign would mark a return to a style of grassroots outreach that Kishor has used before. Before formally launching Jan Suraaj as a political party, he undertook a padyatra across Bihar, travelling through villages and meeting residents.
Bankipur victory gives Jan Suraaj fresh momentum
The proposed tour comes at a time when enthusiasm within Jan Suraaj has risen sharply following Kishor’s Bankipur victory.
The Bankipur seat had long been regarded as a BJP stronghold. Kishor defeated the BJP candidate by around 19,000 votes, becoming Jan Suraaj’s first MLA.
The victory has given the party a significant boost after its poor performance in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, following which several leaders left the organisation.
Kishor’s entry into the legislature also gives him a new platform from which to raise political and public issues, both inside the Assembly and through his grassroots campaign.
Focus shifts to MLC and Panchayat elections
Jan Suraaj is now looking ahead to the next electoral tests in Bihar.
Elections to eight Legislative Council seats representing Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies are scheduled for November 2026, followed by the proposed Panchayat elections in 2027.
Party leaders are preparing to contest both elections aggressively, and Kishor’s proposed statewide tour is expected to form a central part of that strategy.
The party is also planning a fresh membership drive, with the tour expected to help bring new supporters into its organisation and strengthen its presence at the grassroots.
A new political message?
Kishor has attributed the BJP’s defeat in Bankipur to what he described as a lack of public acceptance for Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary.
That argument could become a central theme of his proposed tour as he travels through Bihar’s towns and villages, potentially turning the Bankipur result into a wider political campaign against the state government.
For Jan Suraaj, the challenge now is to convert the momentum of one high-profile urban victory into a broader organisation capable of competing across Bihar.
The 38-district tour could provide Kishor with the opportunity to test whether the enthusiasm generated by Bankipur can be translated into sustained grassroots support ahead of the next round of elections.
