Patna: Around three months after the results of the Bihar assembly elections led to the formation of the NDA govt in the state, Jan Suraaj, floated by former poll strategist Prashant Kishor, has moved the Supreme Court challenging the recently held elections and seeking fresh polls in Bihar. The matter is likely to come up for hearing on Friday, sources said on Thursday. The ruling JD(U), on the other hand, described the move as an “insult of people’s mandate”.In its petition filed before the apex court, the party questioned the cash transfer of Rs 10,000 to women beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana while the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force, describing the move as “illegal” and “unconstitutional”.
Seeking appropriate action in this regard, the Jan Suraaj petition also raised objections to the deployment of around 1.80 lakh women associated with the self-help group JEEViKA at polling booths during both phases of voting. The party termed the move “illegal” and “unfair”.The petition sought to have the results of the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 declared “null and void”. It also urged the court to direct the Election Commission of India to frame clearer norms for the rollout of welfare schemes, freebies and Direct Benefit Transfer schemes that could impact free and fair elections.Further, the petition requested the court to direct the poll body to “fix minimum time, preferably six months, to implement schemes which impact free and fair elections, by political parties in power before announcement of the election schedule”.The fledgling party had fielded candidates in almost all assembly constituencies in the state but failed to open its account despite intensive campaigning led by its chief poll campaigner, Kishor. In contrast, the BJP-led NDA retained power by winning 202 of the state’s total 243 assembly seats while the RJD-led INDIA bloc managed only 35 seats.The RJD, which emerged as the main opposition party with 25 seats, had also alleged “gross misuse of poll machinery”, claiming that “machinery won but democracy lost” in the Bihar elections.Reacting to Jan Suraaj’s petition, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar described it as an “insult of people’s mandate”. “We have been helping the women in need as part of the Satat Jivikoparjan Yojana right since total prohibition was enforced in Bihar in 2016, and the financial help to the women was just an extension of the govt’s commitment,” Kumar said.Defending grant of money to the women, he said Jharkhand govt too had launched Mukhya Mantri Maiya Samman Yojana ahead of polls. “Don’t the people get salary and pension after the dates of elections are announced?” the JD(U) leader asked.
