Prashant Kishor’s Outfit To Back At Least 75 Backward Classes Candidates In Bihar Polls

Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday said at least 75 people belonging to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) category will be fielded by a single platform supported by his ‘Jan Suraaj’ in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls.

Addressing a function organised here ahead of the birth anniversary of socialist leader Karpoori Thakur next week, Mr Kishor stopped short of announcing the Jan Suraaj’s transformation into a political party, but said, “For the first time in the Bihar assembly elections of 2025, you will see at least 75 people from the EBC category contesting the election from a single platform”.

He said ‘Jan Suraaj’ will prepare them for contesting the polls.

“We (Jan Suraaj) will put all our strength behind them…People belonging to this community have always been exploited by the ruling parties in the state. Political parties in Bihar never thought of their betterment and upliftment,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of good education, Mr Kishor said the ‘Jan Suraaj’ will also provide all financial support to students belonging to this category in preparing for competitive examinations.

“Every year the ‘Jan Suraaj’ will select at least 500 EBC students, 10 to 15 from each district, for this purpose and provide them all support,” Mr Kishor said.

The Bihar government had, in October last year, released the data of the caste-based survey.

As per the caste survey report, among the total population size of 13.07 crore, Bihar has 63 per cent of people in the Other Backward Class (OBC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) categories.