Prashant Kishor Must Reinvent or Fade Into Political Footnotes

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Prashant Kishor’s Bihar Debacle: Why His ‘Third Front’ Collapsed — And What Comes Next

By RAJESHWAR JAISWAL

Patna, November 20, 2025 — Prashant Kishor says he will not quit politics. Fair enough. But Bihar has delivered its verdict: the man who promised a political revolution could not secure a single seat.

The same Kishor who declared he would leave politics if Nitish Kumar won more than 25 seats is now offering explanations. In Bihar we call this palti — the very word he once weaponised against others.

But this defeat isn’t simply about numbers. It is a mirror, and Kishor must look into it honestly.

A Party Without a Spine Cannot Stand

For months, I said in multiple programmes — when few were willing to speak plainly — that Kishor’s party could win four or five seats at best, or it would end up at zero. Not because his ideas were bad. But because he never built what every political party needs: structure, discipline, leadership depth and grassroots legitimacy.

Kishor has the habit of jumping on a running train. He thrives where another party’s “bhaukal” — brand aura — already exists. When he sat with JD (U) or other major players, he succeeded because the machinery existed. But when he had to build his own machine, he failed.

He relied on image-building, interviews and a revolving-door team. Bihar does not reward spectacle. Bihar rewards stamina.

The Vote Was There — The Leadership Was Not

Let’s be fair: Kishor did not flop in terms of raw votes. He gathered around 17 lakh votes, a respectable 3.44%. These were not meaningless numbers; they showed curiosity among voters. Many constituencies gave him 3,000 to 40,000 votes.

But curiosity is not commitment. Bihar’s voters were willing to listen, not willing to trust.

And why should they? PK never allowed any second- or third-line leadership to grow. Unlike the Anna movement or early AAP where a galaxy of leaders emerged, Kishor kept himself at Position 1 all the way to Position 100. That model collapses the moment the top falls.

The Big Strategic Mistakes

Kishor made three fundamental errors:

He replaced ground workers with glossy CVs.

Bihar does not vote for doctors, engineers and ex-IAS officers just because they are “qualified.” These candidates received 2,000 to 5,000 votes in many places. Bihar wants jujhaaroo leaders — fighters who understand mohalla-level politics.

He treated politics like a corporate recruitment drive.

Surveys to find who is “known by 10,000 people” do not create public trust. He shuffled teams every few months, sidelined early workers, brought in new elites who could not survive the campaign.

He underestimated Bihar’s memory.

People remembered he was Vice President of JD (U). People remembered Nitish Kumar once backed him. Voters asked:
If you could not fix Bihar in 2015 when you sat next to Nitish, why should we trust you now?

This perception hurt him more than he realised.

PK Has Talent. But Talent Alone Doesn’t Win Bihar.

To be clear, Kishor has strengths. He is energetic, fearless and unafraid to confront police or authority when he thinks he is right. Bihar needs that aggression. But aggression without organisation is noise. And impatience is his biggest enemy.

For the first time, I saw him speak with humility during his recent press conference. If he keeps that tone, it will help him. Bihar forgives sincerity more easily than it forgives arrogance.

The Road Ahead: Reinvent or Retreat

If Prashant Kishor wants a future, he must:

Build a real organisation with local leaders
Resist the urge to change teams every few months
Give space to people from all communities
Stop parachuting “branded” elites into electoral politics
Learn the political discipline Nitish Kumar mastered
Present a clear, sustained blueprint — not just speeches

Bihar wants change, but change must be steady, not theatrical.

PK has potential — I say this even as one of his harshest critics. But unless he undergoes a drastic transformation, he will remain a political consultant trying to cosplay as a mass leader.

And Bihar does not elect cosplayers. It elects fighters. The defeat is a lesson. Whether it becomes a turning point is entirely up to Prashant Kishor.

(This is an opinion piece, and views expressed are those of the author only)

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