PK’s allegations expose a leadership vacuum in Bihar BJP, raising concerns about governance and succession in the NDA ahead of elections.
BY Navin Upadhyay
September 22 — Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj campaign has long pitched itself as an antidote to Bihar’s entrenched political culture. But in his latest salvo, PK has gone beyond broadside rhetoric and begun systematically naming individual leaders of the BJP and JD(U), tying them to specific instances of corruption, cronyism, and malpractice. His strategy is to puncture the claim that Bihar’s ruling alliance under Nitish Kumar and the BJP represents either stability or clean governance. And the sharpest arrows in his quiver are aimed at Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, State BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, Health Minister Mangal Pandey, and JD(U) senior leader Ashok Choudhary.
This leaves the BJP in Bihar grappling with an acute leadership crisis. It has been further magnified by the passing of stalwarts like Sushil Modi and the sidelining of senior leaders such as Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ashwini Choubey, Nand Kishore Yadav, Prem Kumar, and Shahnawaz Hussain. These figures once provided institutional memory, deep organizational networks, and credibility both within the party and among grassroots cadres. Their absence has left a vacuum that current leaders have struggled to fill.
Analysts say the problem is structural: the Bihar BJP has been unable to cultivate a second rung of leaders with comparable clout or pan-state appeal. The current state leadership — with figures like Samrat Choudhary as Deputy Chief Minister and Dilip Jaiswal as state president — reflects a “borrowed” cohort rather than organic, Sangh Parivar-honed stalwarts. PK’s recent public assaults expose this weakness.
Many of the present crop of Bihar BJP leaders are not considered core Sangh Parivar products. Their connections are transactional and opportunistic, built more through convenience than ideological grooming. PK’s allegations of fake degrees, land deals, institutional capture, and financial irregularities are therefore particularly damaging: they hit leaders who lack the deep-rooted networks or legacy credibility to defend themselves effectively.
“People of Bihar have punished RJD for the jungle raj, but the BJP is worse than even RJD,” PK has repeatedly asserted.
This leadership deficit has immediate electoral implications. First, it strains the NDA’s ability to present a united front if Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is incapacitated or politically weakened. Second, it amplifies PK’s narrative of corruption and maladministration, as the remaining leaders cannot counter accusations with authority or legacy credibility. Finally, it complicates recruitment and morale at the grassroots level, where cadres often look to seasoned leaders for guidance.
In short, Bihar BJP’s leadership vacuum is both a structural and political problem. The party’s inability to replace iconic leaders with equally credible figures has created a vulnerability that PK has skillfully exploited, turning organizational weakness into a public spectacle of scandal and scrutiny. How the central BJP leadership responds — whether through internal restructuring, high-profile interventions, or documentation-backed defenses — will be decisive in whether the party can stabilize ahead of the next electoral cycle.
PK chargesheet against Bihar NDA stalwarts
Samrat Choudhary – Alleged Fake Degree and Criminal Past
Prashant Kishor has raised serious questions about the educational qualifications and past alleged criminal activities of Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary. Kishor alleges that Choudhary holds a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) degree from California University despite reportedly failing his Class 10 examination. He also claims that Choudhary has changed his name multiple times and was involved in a 1998 murder case.
“Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary is an expert in changing names. People know that his name was Rakesh Kumar, which changed to Rakesh Kumar aka Samrat Choudhary, but this is not the complete truth. His original name was Samrat Kumar Maurya. He was accused of murder. Bombs were thrown at Congress leader Sadanand Singh, in which six people died. He came out of jail after six months, as he was a minor,” Kishor said.
Prashant Kishor is doing what no one else in Bihar’s politics dares, putting hard truths on the table.
➡️ In 1998, as Samrat Kumar Maurya, jailed in a bomb attack that killed 6 people, including Congress leader Sadanand Singh.
➡️ Changed his name thrice, used multiple dates of… pic.twitter.com/JBR2WgTw83— Aditya (@PKForBihar) September 19, 2025
Kishor points to discrepancies in Choudhary’s election affidavits. In 2010, Choudhary reportedly stated that he had passed Class 7. However, later affidavits claim he holds a D.Litt degree. Kishor questions how someone who allegedly failed Class 10 could obtain such a degree and has urged the Election Commission to demand proof of Choudhary’s Class 10 certificate.
Ashok Choudhary – Alleged Land Deals and Defamation Suit
Prashant Kishor has alleged that Ashok Choudhary, a close aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, acquired land and assets worth approximately ₹200 crore in the past two years. Kishor claims that these properties are held in the names of Choudhary’s family members and associates, including his wife, daughter Shambhavi Choudhary (MP from Samastipur), and a trust named Manav Vaibhav Vikas Trust. Kishor has produced documents to support these claims.
“Ashok Choudhary, a close aide of CM Nitish Kumar, has made a corruption record in Bihar. He has a lot of Benami Property. He had a PA, Yogendra Dutt. In 2019, Ashok Choudhary bought 0.7 acres of land under Yogendra Dutt’s name for ₹34 lakhs… Two years later, Yogendra Dutt transferred that land to Shambhavi Choudhary’s name for ₹34 lakhs, but he was paid only ₹10 lakhs,” he said.
प्रशांत किशोर के खुलासे से जेडीयू में घमासान, पार्टी ने अशोक चौधरी से मांगा 200 करोड़ का हिसाब!! pic.twitter.com/Y7IB76qeyW
— Baat Bihar Ki (@BaatBiharKii) September 20, 2025
Kishor challenged Choudhary to clarify the legitimacy of these properties or resign from his position. The JD(U) spokesperson Niraj Kumar emphasized that Choudhary should offer an explanation in line with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption. Choudhary has filed a defamation suit, warning he will pursue the matter up to the Supreme Court.
Sanjay Jaiswal – Fake Petrol Vouchers
Kishor alleged that Sanjay Jaiswal, who served multiple terms as MP from West Champaran, “ran a petrol pump scam by generating fake bills for reimbursement.” According to PK, Jaiswal used his fuel pump business to create fraudulent vouchers that were later claimed against government allowances and party funds.
“सात जन्म लेना पड़ेगा तब जाकर प्रशांत किशोर का हाथ छू पाओगे,जेल तो बहुत दूर की बात है”🔥
पेट्रोल चोर,भाजपा के पूर्व अध्यक्ष संजय जायसवाल को लताड़ दिया जननेता प्रशांत किशोर ने@sanjayjaiswalMP ऐसा कुपुत्र निकला कि इसके हरकत के वजह से इसके पिता शोक में चले गए,ये फिर भी नहीं सुधरा pic.twitter.com/WwilfK35HI
— अनघ (@newbiharr) September 19, 2025
“Imagine the state president of the ruling party running fake petrol vouchers while preaching honesty in public life,” Kishor charged. “If such leaders are the face of Bihar BJP, what credibility do they carry to talk about corruption under others?”
Complaints regarding these petrol vouchers were reportedly raised locally in Bettiah years ago but allegedly buried due to Jaiswal’s political clout. The BJP has dismissed PK’s allegations as “baseless and defamatory,” while Sanjay Jaiswal has yet to issue a detailed rebuttal.
Dilip Jaiswal – Alleged Medical College Takeover and Corruption
Prashant Kishor has accused Dilip Jaiswal, the current BJP state president, of orchestrating the illegal takeover of Mata Gujri Memorial (MGM) Medical College in Kishanganj. Jaiswal, who reportedly started as a clerk at the institution, allegedly maneuvered to become its director and took control of its management committee, sidelining the original trust that founded the college. PK claims that funds meant for medical education and community services were diverted for personal enrichment.
Additionally, PK alleges that Jaiswal transferred ₹25 lakh to Health Minister Mangal Pandey’s father via RTGS, which was then used for the purchase of a flat in Delhi. Shortly after this transaction, MGM Medical College was granted deemed university status, suggesting a quid pro quo arrangement. PK also accuses Jaiswal of involvement in inflated ambulance procurement deals in Bihar, though these are more directly tied to Pandey’s ministry. Furthermore, PK claims that over 50 children of politicians were admitted into medical colleges without taking entrance exams, facilitated by Jaiswal’s influence at MGM College.
“Here is a man who presides over the state BJP, yet his biggest credential is grabbing a minority medical college through intimidation and corruption,” PK said, waving papers he claimed to be affidavits and property records.
PK’s allegations portray a calculated network of influence, suggesting that institutional control was leveraged for personal gain. Jaiswal has dismissed the charges as politically motivated.
Mangal Pandey – Alleged Bribe and Inflated Ambulance Procurement
Kishor has alleged that Bihar’s Health Minister, Mangal Pandey, accepted a ₹25 lakh bribe via RTGS from Dilip Jaiswal in connection with the purchase of a flat. He claims that this transaction was part of a quid pro quo arrangement, with the subsequent granting of deemed university status to MGM Medical College serving as a reward. Kishor further alleges that 1,222 ambulances were overpaid for, citing discrepancies in their purchase prices compared to other states, claiming these inflated procurement deals were part of a larger network of money changing hands for favors within the government.
“Imagine the health minister of Bihar taking bribes from his own party colleagues,” PK told reporters. “What moral right does such a man have to preside over the state’s public health system?”
In response, Pandey has denied the allegations, asserting that the ₹25 lakh was a repaid loan and denying any role in the university recognition process. He also stated that no payments for the ambulances were made as the matter is under court scrutiny. BJP spokesperson Danish Eqbal defended the tender process and questioned Kishor’s framing of a repaid loan as corruption.
NDA Dilemma
The political fallout is immediate and uncomfortable for the NDA. PK’s allegations attack both the governance record and personal integrity of leaders who would otherwise be expected to step forward if Nitish were sidelined by health issues. That creates a potential leadership vacuum: the BJP’s state unit is now under strain, JD(U)’s ranks are shaken, and both parties are expending energy on rebuttals and legal counters rather than voter outreach.
The more PK presses with documents and details, the more the NDA risks looking like an alliance without clean hands — and without a clear successor to Nitish. How the central BJP leadership responds — whether via evidence-based rebuttals, internal cleanup, or visible high-profile interventions — will be decisive ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Beyond Individuals: A Rot in the System
Kishor’s strategy connects these dots into a larger story: Bihar’s governance is hollowed out by leaders more interested in property deals, institutional capture, and self-enrichment than in serving the public. By citing concrete examples, he turns abstract anger about corruption into tangible proof that can be repeated in villages, panchayats, and tea shops.
PK gains traction because he is not an opposition leader with obvious electoral stakes but an insider-turned-whistleblower, claiming to expose decay in the very political architecture he once helped shape.
