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‘What position do I even hold?’ Prashant Kishor's quip on resignation question draws laughter
Refusing to let the recent defeat get in his way, Prashant Kishor said that he will work twice as hard as people have seen him work over the past three years.
When asked whether he will resign and leave politics after his Jan Suraaj party failed to bag even a single seat in 2025 Bihar assembly polls, party founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday countered asking what position he holds to step down from.
“What position am I holding that I should resign?” said Prashant Kishore, leaving the crowd gathered for his press briefing in splits, when questioned by a reporter in Patna about whether he will retire now that Nitish Kumar's Janta Dal (United) won 85 seats as opposed to less than 25 that he had predicted.
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Before Bihar elections, Prashant Kishor had said that if JD(U) gets more than 25 seats, he will retire, according to several reports.
Prashan Kishor addresses Bihar loss for first time
On Tuesday, while addressing the media for the first time since his party's embarrassing performance in Bihar assembly polls, Kishor said, “I had said that if (JDU) gets more than 25 seats, I will retire. From which position should I resign?”
Also read: ‘Forget systemic change, couldn't even…’: Prashant Kishor on Bihar poll loss
He argued that while he does not do politics, he never said he would leave Bihar or stop talking about their issues.
“I did not say that I will leave Bihar. I have left politics. I do not do politics, but I did not say that I will stop speaking for the people of Bihar...” he said.
Kishor added he would not just "definitely quit" politics and and will even leave the state if the NDA government fulfils its poll promise and gives ₹2 lakh each to ₹1.5 crore women under self-employment initiatives.
Also read: After humiliating Bihar election result, here's how Prashant Kishor will 'repent' loss
‘Will work twice as hard’
Refusing to let the recent defeat get in his way, Kishor said that he will work twice as hard as people have seen him work over the past three years and will put in all his energy for the betterment of Bihar.
“...I will work twice as hard as you've seen me work over the past three years and put in all my energy. There's no question of backing down. There's no turning back until I fulfil my resolve to make Bihar better,” he said.
Acknowledging his party's shortcomings, Kishor also said that while there may have been mistakes, his party has not committed any crime.
"We have not committed the crime of spreading caste-based poison in society. We have not played Hindu-Muslim politics in Bihar. We have not committed the crime of dividing people in the name of religion. We have not committed the crime of giving money to the poor, innocent people of Bihar and buying their votes," he said.
To seek "repentance" for failing in his resolve, Kishor said that he will observe day-long silent fast at the Gandhi Bhitiharwa Ashram on November 20th.
