Patna: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday confirmed that he will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly election, ending weeks of speculation about his electoral debut.

Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj Party is set to make its first appearance in the state polls, said he would focus on strengthening the party organisation instead.

Speaking to PTI, Kishor said, “Jan Suraaj decided that I should concentrate on organisational work and not contest.” Setting a bold goal for his fledgling outfit, he added that “anything less than 150 seats will be a defeat” for Jan Suraaj.

Kishor’s decision became evident on Monday night when the party named Chanchal Singh as its candidate from Raghopur, a seat long held by Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD.

Kishor had earlier hinted that if he entered the fray, it would be either from Kargahar—his home turf—or Raghopur. However, with Ritesh Ranjan (Pandey) fielded from Kargahar and Singh from Raghopur, the speculation around Kishor’s candidature was effectively settled.

Party insiders say contesting would have restricted Kishor to one constituency at a time when he remains Jan Suraaj’s most visible campaigner across Bihar.

Predicting a major political churn in the state, Kishor claimed the ruling NDA was headed for a “certain defeat” and said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) would “struggle to win even 25 seats.”

“The NDA is definitely on its way out and Nitish Kumar will not return as Chief Minister,” he asserted. Recalling the 2020 election setback for the JD(U), Kishor said, “You do not need to be a psephologist to see what’s coming. Last time, Chirag Paswan’s rebellion had already reduced JD(U)’s tally to 43.”

He also dismissed the strength of the opposition INDIA bloc, citing infighting between the RJD and Congress, as well as uncertainty over Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party.

Polling for the 243-member Bihar Assembly will take place in two phases—November 6 and 11, with results scheduled for November 14.