Raghopur/Patna, 11 Oct

Taking the battle to the enemy's camp, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Saturday hit the campaign trail from Raghopur, the home turf of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, whom he vowed to trounce like "Rahul Gandhi's defeat from Amethi".

The 47-year-old politician received a rousing welcome, with garlands placed around his neck to the tunes of drums beaten by enthusiastic supporters, in the assembly constituency in Vaishali district, about 50 km from the state capital and situated right across the Ganga.

The former poll strategist, who has been touring his home state, mostly on foot, for a few years, was seen chatting up with residents of dusty villages who complained of a lack of schools, other basic amenities and schools.

Kishor, who is confident of his one-year-old party making a splash in the upcoming polls, chided many of the common folk, including a sizeable number of women, for "voting for the wrong person, in the name of caste loyalty".

"Your local MLA is such a big man. He has been a deputy chief minister twice. Have you ever approached him with your problems?" he remarked quizzically, evoking replies that suggested that they were not able to get an audience with 35-year-old Tejashwi Yadav.

Earlier, before leaving for Raghopur, Kishor spoke to journalists in Patna, who told him that rumours were afloat that Yadav, who is representing the constituency for a second consecutive term, may contest an additional seat this time.

Breaking into a grin, he said, "At present, there is just a speculation that Jan Suraaj Party will give a strong candidate in Raghopur, and Tejashwi Yadav is so scared. Let him contest from two seats. His fate in Raghopur will be the same as that of Rahul Gandhi in 2019, when the Congress leader fought two seats, but ended up losing his stronghold of Amethi."

Notably, Gandhi, currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had managed to win the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

In the Lok Sabha polls last year, he again contested from two seats, Wayanad and Rae Bareli, which had been represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi several times.

After winning both seats, Gandhi vacated Wayanad, which elected his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a bypoll.

The Congress also wrested back Amethi, where Kishori Lal Sharma, a less fancied candidate, defeated former Union minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani.

Kishor was also asked about his repeated averment that he was ready to try his hands at playing a giant killer, by contesting against Yadav from Raghopur, himself.

He replied, "The Jan Suraaj Party's central election committee meeting is scheduled for Sunday, and the feedback he would receive from Raghopur will also be up for discussion. Based on that, the most suitable candidate will be decided. I cannot say whether it is going to be me. The decision has to be taken by the party."

Kishor was also asked whether Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh could have announced the decision not to contest assembly polls out of fear, a day after the latter's estranged wife Jyoti met the Jan Suraaj Party founder.

He replied, "Pawan Singh is not an enemy. He is a personal friend, and it does not matter to me that he is in the BJP. When his wife came to me to share her insecurities, I gave her assurance just like a brother. We are very clear that neither I nor Jan Suraaj Party is going to meddle in their marital dispute."

Jyoti was understood to have approached Kishor with the request for a ticket, though she denied it when journalists asked her about the same.

Kishor said, "It is tainted leaders like (Deputy CM) Samrat Choudhary and (ministers) Ashok Choudhary and Mangal Pandey who seem to be living in fear of Jan Suraaj. Ashok Choudhary has rhetorically claimed that he will not pursue his defamation case against me but will fight it out in the people's court. Let him declare which assembly seat he is going to contest. We are ready."

He also made light of several aspirants voicing dissatisfaction after the party released its first list of 51 candidates a couple of days ago.

"It is natural. Thousands of people have built the Jan Suraaj Party with their blood, tears and sweat. It is never possible to accommodate them all when the assembly has only 243 seats. But we are a democratic party which does not keep its doors shut. Everything will be resolved," claimed Kishor.