Prashant Kishor in Bihar Assembly Polls: 7 top Jan Suraaj candidates to watch out for

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj is contesting the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 with full force. The party has fielded 239 candidates across Bihar and is contesting the two-phase elections against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition's Mahagathbandhan, also known as the Grand Alliance.

The first phase of the Bihar elections is scheduled for 6 November, while the second phase is scheduled for 11 November. The results will be announced on 14 November.

“We have given tickets to those who have contributed to society, who have their own identity, and who are local. Although they may not be household names in politics, they are individuals who make significant contributions to society. We had promised that there would be more than 200 people who were fighting for the first time in their lives,” Kishor told Mint during an interview last week.

Of the 239 candidates contesting on the Jan Suraaj ticket, there are doctors, engineers and some established politicians. About 85 Jan Suraaj candidates have declared ‘agriculture’ as their occupation in their affidavits.

As many as 55 Jan Suraaj candidates are post-graduates, according to their affidavits, 94 are graduates, and 11 hold PhDs. There are 34 candidates who have cleared Class 12, and 18 who have declared Class 10 as their highest academic qualification.

Here are the 7 top Jan Suraaj candidates to watch out for this election:

1- Sarfaraz Alam – Jokihat, Araria

Jokihat is one of the 243 assembly constituencies in the state of Bihar. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal (United) (JDU), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian National Congress (INC)are the major parties in the state.

Shahnawaz Alam from AIMIM is the sitting MLA from the Jokihat seat. In 2020, Shahnawaz registered a win in the Jokihat seat. In 2015, JD(U) candidate and Shahnawaz’s brother, Sarfraz Alam, won from the seat.

Sarfaraz Alam is contesting the 2025 elections as a Jan Suraaj candidate. Sarfaraz Alam had been elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Jokihat seat for four terms (1996, 2000, 2010, 2015) - first and second terms as a candidate of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the next two as a candidate of Janata Dal (United).

In January 2016, he was suspended by his party after a FIR was lodged against him for allegedly misbehaving with a couple in a train.

Sarfaraz Alam has also been a Lok Sabha MP from Araria. He is the son of Mohammed Taslimuddin, who was a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and an MP from the Araria seat, too.

Kishor's rally for Sarafaraz on 28 October drew a large crowd. Jokihaat votes in the second phase on 11 November.

2- KC Sinha - Kumhrar, Patna

Professor and renowned author KC Sinha is contesting the Bihar Elections for the first time. Sinha is another prominent candidate fielded by Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj party from the seat in Patna.

Sinha is facing BJP's Sanjay Kumar Gupta and Congress party's Indradeep Chandravanshi in the seat. In 2020, the BJP candidate Arun Kumar Sinha had won the seat.

Kumhrar votes on 6 November, the first phase of the election.

Sinha is better known as an author, Mathematician and academic. He has authored as many as 70 books in Mathematics. "The only solution to all problems is education, quality education. If students of Bihar get quality education, they can go into different fields and excel and bring development in our state," Sinha told Mint in a recent interview.

3- Priti Kinnar, Bhore, Gopalganj

Jan Suraaj has fielded Priti Kinnar from Bhore, a constituency in Bihar's Gopalganj.

Priti is contesting against Sunil Kumar of Janata Dal United, who is also a minister of education in Nitish Kumar's government. Dhananjay of CPI (ML)-l and SK Ram of the Bahujan Samaj Party are also the candidates from the seat. In 2020, Sunil Kumar of JD-U had won the seat.

Bhore votes in the first phase on 6 November.

4 - Abu Affan Farooque, Kochadhaman, Kishanganj

Jan Suraaj has fielded former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Students' Union President Abu Affan Farooque from the Kochadhaman seat in Kishanganj district of Bihar. Farooque is up against Sarwar Alam of AIMIM and Mujahid Alam of the RJD. The BJP had fielded Bina Devi from the seat.

In 2020, AIMIM candidate Izhar Asfi won the seat. Mujahid Alam finished second.

Kochadhaman votes in the second phase on 11 November.

5-Dr Shahnawaz Alam, Barharia, Siwan

Jan Suraaj has fielded Dr Shahnawaz Alam from the Barharia Assembly constituency in Siwan. Dr Shahnawaz is a renowned doctor from the area and known for his public service.

Bachcha Pandey from RJD is the sitting MLA from the Barharia seat. In 2020, Bachcha Pandey won the Barharia constituency. In 2015, JD(U) candidate Shyam Bahadur Singh won from the seat.

The RJD has fielded Arun Kumar Gupta, while the JD-U has fielded Indradev Singh from the seat in 2025. Barharia votes in the first phase on 6 November.

6- Ritesh Ranjan Pandey, Kargahar, Rohtas

Famous Bhojpuri singer Ritesh Ranjan Pandey is among the candidates of Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) for the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. Pandey has been fielded from the Kargahar Assembly constituency of Rohtas district.

Pandey is up against Congress party's Santosh Kumar Mishra and JD-U's Bashisth Singh. The CPI has also fielded MP Gupta from here.

In 2020, Santosh Kumar Mishra of the Congress won the seat

7- YB Giri, Manjhi, Rohtas

YB Giri is Jan Suraaj Party's candidate from Manjhi seat in Saran district. A Senior Advocate in the Patna High Court, YB Giri, has been involved in several high-profile cases. He has also served as Additional Advocate General of Bihar and Additional Solicitor General of India for central government cases in Patna High Court.

In 2020, Satyendra Yadav of the CPI-M won the seat. This time, Yadav is contesting again from the seat. The JD-U has fielded Randhir Singh from here.