Days before polling in Bihar, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj suffered an early setback in five constituencies. Candidates either went missing, had their nominations canceled, or withdrew at the last minute citing “health” and “social pressure”.

In Danapur, Jan Suraaj fielded Akhilesh Kumar alias Mutur Saw, whose social media photos with BJP leaders raised eyebrows. Local party workers alleged that loyal ground workers were ignored in favour of outsiders with BJP links. A similar story unfolded in Brahmpur, where former BJP leader Dr Satya Prakash Tiwari was given a ticket but later withdrew his nomination, angering party volunteers who said the leadership abandoned its founding principles.

In Gopalganj, Shashi Shekhar Sinha withdrew citing health reasons, though local leaders claim BJP pressure was the real cause. In Sitamarhi, Ziauddin Khan dropped out citing “social pressure,” while in Valmikinagar, Drig Narayan Prasad’s nomination was cancelled on technical grounds.

Prashant Kishor has blamed the BJP and Home Minister Amit Shah for the developments, while many local workers say the problem stems from Jan Suraaj’s own flawed strategy and sidelining of grassroots leaders.

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