Patna, Aug 17 (IANS): Prashant Kishor, the chief of Jan Suraaj, on Saturday, announced that Jan Suraaj is likely to contest the upcoming Assembly by-elections in the Bela Ganj and Imam Ganj constituencies of Gaya district in Bihar.

These by-elections would take place following the resignations of Surendra Yadav and Jitan Ram Manjhi, who stepped down from their respective seats of Bela Ganj and Imam Ganj after winning in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“If the by-polls are held after October 2, Jan Suraaj will officially contest the elections. However, if the by-polls occur before October 2, we would select suitable candidates from within Jan Suraaj, who would then contest the elections as independent candidates,” Prashant Kishor told media persons in Gaya.

Jan Suraaj is currently known as a Padyatra campaign rather than a formal political party. Prashant Kishor has been conducting this Padyatra across Bihar since October 2, 2022, with the goal of preparing for the 2025 assembly election. He has already announced plans to formally launch his political party on October 2.

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, Sudhakar Singh, who later served as the Agriculture Minister, was elected from the Ramgarh constituency. He recently contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Buxar constituency and successfully defeated the BJP candidate Mithilesh Tiwari.

Similarly, Sudama Prasad, who won the Tarari assembly seat on the CPI-ML in 2020, ran for the Lok Sabha in 2024 from the Arrah constituency. He emerged victorious against BJP's R.K. Singh, securing another important seat for his party.

These wins have led to by-elections scheduled for both the Ramgarh and Tarari Assembly constituencies, as these leaders have vacated their seats after moving on to the national level in the Lok Sabha.