Prashant Kishor to embark on 3,500 km padyatra in Bihar from tomorrow

According to an official statement, cited by news agency PTI, Kishor will start his padyatra from the Gandhi Ashram in Bhitiharwa in West Champaran, where Mahatma Gandhi launched his first satyagraha movement in 1917.

Political strategist Prashant Kishor will embark on a 3,500-kilometre padyatra in Bihar from West Champaran district on Sunday, which also happens to mark the 153rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. According to an official statement, cited by news agency PTI, Kishor will start his padyatra from the Gandhi Ashram in Bhitiharwa in West Champaran, where Mahatma Gandhi launched his first satyagraha movement in 1917.

During the procession, Kishor will attempt to reach every panchayat and block.(ANI file photo)

The padyatra has three main goals, including identifying the right people at grassroots and bringing them on a democratic platform, the statement said, adding it will also work towards making a vision document for Bihar by incorporating views from experts in different fields. The padyatra is likely to take anywhere between one year to one and a half years and is being widely seen to be a precursor to Prashant Kishor's fresh entry into politics.

The statement also said that during the procession, Kishor will attempt to reach every panchayat and block.

In the run-up to the padyatra, he had been touring Bihar to interact with members of civil society, emphasising that the state does not merely need a change of government but requires the coming together of well-meaning people to transform the system, PTI further reported.

Prashant Kishor's IPAC has worked with several political parties in India including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), helping them win state assembly elections. He was with the Janata Dal (United) before being expelled in 2020.

In September, Prashant Kishor met Nitish Kumar, fuelling speculations of a reunion between the two. However, JD(U) president Lalan Singh dismissed the speculations and said that no offer was given to Kishor to join the party.

The meeting came more than a month after Nitish Kumar split from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to form the new government in Bihar. Kumar became chief minister for the eighth time and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav became his deputy.

(With PTI inputs)