Will retire from politics if Nitish Kumar wins more than 25 seats in Bihar: Prashant Kishor
Patna: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has made a bold statement in the lead-up to the upcoming Bihar elections, vowing to retire from politics if Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party secures more than 25 seats.
Kishor, who is now leading the Jan Suraaj party, spoke to Deccan Herald about his predictions for the election and his party's strategy. According to him, this will be the final term for Nitish Kumar as Bihar's Chief Minister. “This is the last term of Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister. He is ‘tired and retired,’” Kishor asserted, pointing to Kumar’s ongoing health concerns. He further predicted, “Mark my words, he is not going to win more than 25 seats this year.”
When pressed about his harsh assessment of a leader who has been in power since 2005, Kishor raised the stakes. “If he wins more than 25 seats, I will retire from politics,” he declared.
Kishor, who has been critical of both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, emphasised that his party would not enter into any alliances. “We cannot join hands with those who grab land in the name of providing jobs, nor with those who have been looting Bihar,” he said.
The Jan Suraaj leader also responded to allegations regarding his funding. “We are very transparent on this issue. I earn through my consultancy. In the last three years, I have earned Rs 241 crore, out of which I have paid around Rs 31 crore as GST and Rs 20 crore as income tax. All these facts and figures are available on the website of the I-T department. Of the remaining amount I had, I donated Rs 98 crore to my party, which is making a poll debut in this Assembly election,” he shared.
Addressing concerns about his party’s ability to take on the well-established machinery of the NDA and the Mahagatbandhan, Kishor promised a surprise. “Voters of Bihar are politically very mature, and they keep their cards close to their chest until the very last moment,” he remarked.
The 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly is slated to go to polls in late October or early November.
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Allen, Raghuvanshi, Green power KKR to 29-run win over GT
Kolkata (PTI): Finn Allen blasted a 35-ball 93, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit an unbeaten 44-ball 82 as Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive with a 29-run win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL match here on Saturday.
Sent in to bat, Allen went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 10 maximums and four boundaries to add 95 off 41 balls with Raghuvanshi (82).
Raghuvanshi then shared another 108 off 53 balls with Cameron Green (52 not out) to power KKR to a challenging 247 for 2.
In reply, GT could manage 218-4, riding on skipper Shubman Gill's 49-ball 85 and a 35-ball 57 from Jos Buttler. Opener Sai Sudarsan was retired hurt but returned to make a 28-ball 53 not out.
Sunil Narine (2/29) claimed two wickets and Saurabh Dubey snapped one for KKR.
For GT, Mohammed Siraj (1/50), Sai Kishore (1/38) were the wicket-takers.
Brief Score:
KKR: 247 for 2 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 93, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 82 not out, Camero Green 52 not out; Mohammed Siraj 1/50).
GT: 218 for 4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 85, Sunil Narine 2/29).
