Patna, 16 Nov

Reeling from its poor showing in the Bihar Assembly elections, the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party has alleged that the NDA government diverted funds from the World Bank to influence voters.

In an ANI interview, party spokesperson Pavan Verma claimed Rs 10,000 was transferred to 1.25 crore women voters under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana using part of Rs 21,000 crore earmarked for another project. “An hour before the poll code came into effect, Rs 14,000 crore were distributed,” he alleged, adding the claim may or may not be true.

When asked if such welfare schemes were the X factor, Verma noted that Prime Minister Modi had criticised freebies in the past, referring to Delhi polls, and questioned why similar measures were used in Bihar. He also dismissed claims that Jan Suraaj’s poor performance was linked to founder Prashant Kishore’s promise to lift the liquor ban, pointing out liquor was widely available at higher prices, affecting women managing households.

Verma said public debt in Bihar stands at Rs 4,06,000 crore, with daily interest of Rs 63 crore, and suggested the treasury is nearly empty. He alleged that remaining payments to 2.5 crore women were contingent on NDA victory.

Uday Singh, national president of Jan Suraaj, accused the ruling alliance of spending nearly Rs 40,000 crore from June to polling day to “buy votes”, including World Bank funds.

The NDA swept the polls with 202 seats, with BJP winning 89, JD(U) 85, and allies performing strongly. The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan was reduced to 25 seats, while Congress secured just six.