Jan Suraaj explores Delhi chapter as Prashant Kishor to be felicitated on Sunday for Bankipur win

The Jan Suraaj Party is exploring a possible entry into Delhi politics, with supporters in the capital set to raise the proposal with founder Prashant Kishor when they felicitate him here on Sunday for his Bankipur bypoll victory.

The event is being organised by Biharis living in Delhi associated with the party. Kumar Shantanu, a member of Jan Suraaj's core committee, said supporters who identify with Kishor's political vision have been pressing for a Delhi chapter.

Additionally, any move towards contesting elections in the capital would follow an assessment of the party's prospects here, he said.

"There is a strong demand from people associated with Jan Suraaj in Delhi that the party establish a presence here. But tomorrow's event is primarily about felicitating Kishor for his Bankipur victory," said Shantanu, who teaches Botany at Delhi University's Deshbandhu College.

He noted that leaders of other political parties had not been invited to the closed-door event; however, anyone who wished to join was welcome.

Lawyer Tathagat Harsh Vardhan, son of former Buxar MP K K Tiwari, and former Himachal Pradesh additional director general of police J P Singh are also likely to attend it, he said. Both contested the 2025 Bihar assembly election as Jan Suraaj candidates.

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The proposed Delhi chapter would mark a shift for a party whose organisation and electoral efforts have so far been centred on Bihar. For now, its supporters in the capital are seeking Kishor's approval to begin building a formal presence rather than announcing an election plan.

Kishor, a former election strategist who worked with parties across the political spectrum, built Jan Suraaj around a campaign in Bihar focused on education, employment and governance. He spent months travelling across the state before the organisation took the form of a political party.

Jan Suraaj's first major electoral test came in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls. It contested 238 seats but failed to win any, raising questions about whether Kishor's campaign could translate public interest into votes.

Kishor did not contest that election himself.

The Bankipur bypoll in August gave the party its first seat in the Bihar Assembly and Kishor his first electoral victory as a candidate. He defeated BJP's Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes in the Patna constituency, securing 64,151 votes against Kumar's 44,827.

The decision on whether the party expands to the capital, Shantanu said, rests with Kishor and its leadership.