Political strategist Prashant Kishor announced on Thursday that he will undertake a 3,000-km long padyatra from Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran, Bihar, on October 2. He said that he will meet 17,000-18,000 people in the next three-four months and discuss Jan Suraaj with them for the betterment of Bihar.

Kishor added that since there are no elections in Bihar in the near future, so forming a political party is not a part of his plan as of now. "I am not going to announce any political party. In the last 5 months, I have established contact with more than 17 thousand people, I have met more than 150 people in the last 3 days. In the next 3 to 4 months, I will meet 17 to 18 thousand people and discuss Jan Suraaj," he said.

Kishor targetted both Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the lack of development in the state. He said he will reach out to as many villages, districts, cities to hear public's point of view.

Earlier this week, Kishor had hinted at his next move of 'Jan Suraaj' that "will start from Bihar". The tweet came a few days after he declined the offer to join the Congress party after preparing a 600-slide blueprint for the 135-year-old party's revival.

"My quest to be a meaningful participant in democracy and help shape pro-people policy led to a 10-year rollercoaster ride! As I turn the page, time to go to the Real Masters, THE PEOPLE, to better understand the issues & the path to "Jan Suraaj" - Peoples Good Governance. “Shuruat Bihar se (will start from Bihar)".

My quest to be a meaningful participant in democracy & help shape pro-people policy led to a 10yr rollercoaster ride!

As I turn the page, time to go to the Real Masters, THE PEOPLE,to better understand the issues & the path to “जन सुराज”-Peoples Good Governanceशुरुआत #बिहार से— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) May 2, 2022

On May 2, 2021, when the West Bengal poll results were announced, Kishor said he would leave the strategy space. "I do not want to continue what I am doing. I have done enough. Time for me to take a break and do something else in life. I want to quit this space," he had told NDTV.

Four years ago, he had dabbled in a political stint in his home state Bihar when he joined Janata Dal United. However, he quit 16 months after a fallout with Nitish Kumar.

Kishor was asked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to join the party and be a part of the Empowered Action Group-2024 and take care of its election strategy for upcoming polls. But Kishor declined the offer to evolve their poll strategy.

He has strategised BJP's 2014 Lok Sabha polls, JDU-RJD's 2015 Bihar elections, 2017 Punjab elections for Congress, 2019 Andhra elections for YSRCP, 2020 Tamil Nadu polls for DMK and 2021 West Bengal polls for TMC.

First Published:May 5, 2022 11:47 AM IST