In Purnea on Wednesday, Prashant Kishor questioned the BJP-led NDA over the change in Bihar’s leadership, calling the formation of the new government undemocratic.
“The BJP has imposed the chief minister in Bihar. People's mandate was received in the name of Nitish Kumar, but Samrat Choudhary has been made the CM through the back door. The manner in which the government has been formed is neither democratic nor dignified,” he said.
Kishor said the NDA had sought votes projecting Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial face, but later replaced him with Samrat Choudhary. He argued that such a move required fresh public approval.
“Ideally, in a democracy, they should have sought a new mandate for Samrat Choudhary, but we all know that won't happen,” he said.
He also alleged irregularities in the electoral process. “even the 202-seat mandate in the Bihar assembly elections was received through the backdoor by directly distributing money to the people.”
Referring to campaign messaging, Kishor said voters had been promised continuity in leadership. He said it was now up to the government to deliver on its commitments.
“We just hope the NDA fulfils its lofty promises of one crore jobs, stopping migration, and building good schools in every block, among other things,” he added.
Kishor also questioned Choudhary’s background.
“Bihar is the land of Chanakya and Aryabhatta, and entails the wisdom of Vikramshila and Nalanda. Now, the BJP, which talks about conduct, character and image, has given us this first gift—a chief minister whose educational qualifications and past record remain questionable,” he said.
He has raised similar concerns since the 2025 election campaign, pointing to alleged inconsistencies in Choudhary’s publicly stated educational qualifications and referring to a case from the early 1990s.
On his own party’s performance, Kishor said, “Jan Suraaj did not engage in corruption or divide society in the name of caste or religion. We did not buy votes or conspired to appoint someone else as chief minister contrary to public mandate.”