Ahead of Bihar Elections, Prashant Kishor’s Seemanchal Push: “Sons of Seemanchal Should Lead Seemanchal,” Message to Muslim Voters

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As Bihar gears up for the 2025 Assembly elections, the political temperature is steadily rising. With just days left for the first phase of polling, campaign rallies and accusations among rival parties have intensified. While most political parties took a brief pause from campaigning during the Chhath festival, one leader continued to march forward — Prashant Kishor.

On October 27, 2025 former political strategist and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor led a roadshow in Bihar’s Seemanchal region — an area bordering West Bengal, Jharkhand, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The region has a significant Muslim population.

Kishor was scheduled to reach Sontha Chowk in the Kochadhaman constituency of Kishanganj district for his Bihar Badlav Sabha. However, delays at a previous event in Amour caused him to arrive late. His party, Jan Suraaj, has fielded Afroz Alam from Amour and Abu Affan Farooque, former president of the Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union, from Kochadhaman.

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Affan Farooque’s Call for Conscious Leadership

As Kishor was late, Abu Affan Farooque took to the stage to address nearly 2,000 people waiting at Sontha Chowk. A fiery speaker and lawyer, Farooque urged voters to elect leaders committed to justice, education, and youth empowerment. Quoting poet Allama Iqbal, he said:

He reminded the crowd of the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, when Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM had won five seats in Seemanchal, only for four MLAs to defect to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) soon after. Farooque warned voters against “outsider politics,” calling Sontha a “land of revolutionaries.”

Kishor’s Message to Owaisi and Muslim Voters

Prashant Kishor arrived atop an SUV, joined by Farooque and other Jan Suraaj leaders. As he began addressing the crowd, he urged Muslims in Kishanganj to remain “God-fearing but fearless of the BJP.”

Taking aim at Asaduddin Owaisi, Kishor said, “Stay in your Hyderabad fort. Don’t create confusion in Seemanchal.” He emphasized that the people of Seemanchal should have their own leaders, saying, “Sons of Seemanchal should be leaders of Seemanchal.”

In 2020, AIMIM had split Muslim votes in the region — helping the NDA gain an edge — but later suffered setbacks after four of its MLAs joined the RJD. Now, AIMIM has fielded 25 candidates, including 14 from Seemanchal’s four districts — Kishanganj, Araria, Purnea, and Katihar — where Muslims constitute 30% to 70% of the population.

Kishor, however, is positioning Jan Suraaj as a third front in Seemanchal, challenging both the RJD-Congress alliance and AIMIM. He appealed to voters, saying, “The BJP and Owaisi want Muslims to consolidate their votes. But I urge Muslims to join those Hindus who do not support the BJP — and vote for Jan Suraaj.”

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From Seemanchal to Mandal Politics

After his Kochadhaman rally, Kishor moved to Araria, where he addressed another large gathering at Jokihaat on October 28, 2025. Here, Jan Suraaj has fielded Sarfaraz Alam, a seasoned politician and former MP, against his brother Shanawaz Alam, now contesting as an RJD candidate.

From there, Kishor’s convoy traveled nearly 800 km, concluding at Pipri Market in Supaul and later halting in Madhepura — known as the “land of Mandal politics.” Madhepura is historically significant as the home of Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal, chairman of the Mandal Commission, and veteran leaders like Sharad Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Pappu Yadav. The saying “Rome hai Pope ka, Madhepura Gop ka” — meaning “Rome belongs to the Pope, Madhepura belongs to the Gops (Yadavs)” — captures the district’s political character.

Seemanchal’s Political Crossroads

Political observers believe Seemanchal’s Muslim-majority areas will play a crucial role in the 2025 Bihar elections. Despite AIMIM’s efforts to expand its influence, analysts say the party may find it difficult to secure many seats.

While the RJD has not fielded Muslim candidates proportionate to their population, many in the community may still support it to counter the BJP. Owaisi, often accused of dividing Muslim votes to benefit the BJP, dismissed the claims, stating, “It is now common knowledge that I wrote to (RJD president) Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, expressing willingness for a tie-up. But no response came.”

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