Patna: As the battle for Bihar reached its crescendo, the skies over the state were filled with political choppers ferrying the country’s top leaders. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers to Chief Ministers and star campaigners, Patna airport logged 478 VVIP movements during the election period — a record number reflecting the high-stakes campaign. Nearly 3,000 flight hours were clocked, at an estimated cost of Rs 75 crore.
Yet amid this flurry of aerial activity, one major political figure remained firmly on the ground — Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party and the man once known for architecting election victories from behind the scenes.
Unlike other leaders, Kishor avoided helicopters entirely during his months-long campaign, choosing instead to travel by road and on foot across Bihar’s districts — a continuation of his three-year-long padyatra (foot march) that has covered thousands of kilometres and hundreds of villages.
Explaining the decision, Jan Suraaj’s state president, Manoj Bharati, wrote in a widely shared social media post: “People are asking why Prashant Kishor didn’t use a helicopter even once during the entire election campaign. Let me tell you the reason. When the padyatra began three years ago, we had already decided that Bihar’s politics wouldn’t be changed from the sky. Because Bihar’s strength lies in the dusty trails, the field boundaries, the village squares, and the streets where ordinary people stand with their hopes and struggles.”
In an evocative post, Bharati added: “A helicopter can see the crowd, but not the people’s pain. It’s easy to deliver speeches from the air, but difficult to read hope in the eyes of those on the ground. We believe that problems can’t be seen from the sky — they can only be understood by walking in the soil. That’s why we have chosen the path of sweat, dust, and sitting among the people, listening, and learning.”
The message underscores the central theme of Kishor’s campaign — a politics rooted in proximity rather than spectacle. Where other parties relied on high-decibel rallies, helicopters, and digital blitzes, the Jan Suraaj campaign focused on door-to-door engagement, community meetings, and personal interaction.
“Leaders who descend from the sky are seen from a distance,” Bharati concluded in his statement. “We have reached the hearts of the people because we have walked from the ground. This campaign isn’t just about votes; it’s about trust — with the people of Bihar and with the soil of Bihar.”
Political analysts see Kishor’s grounded campaign as both symbolic and strategic. By avoiding the theatrics of aerial campaigning, he positioned himself as a “people’s leader” in contrast to the established political class — many of whom are perceived as out of touch.
Whether this approach translates into electoral success will be known when results are declared on November 14, but one thing is certain: in an election where crores were spent flying over Bihar, Prashant Kishor chose instead to walk through it.
