'Physically tired, mentally...': Prashant Kishor attacks Nitish, accuses him of 'forming coalitions at any cost'

Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, calling him "physically tired and mentally retired" while accusing him of repeatedly switching alliances to cling to power.

Speaking on Thursday, the Jan Suraaj founder urged voters to ensure that "under no condition should any candidate of JDU win." He criticised Nitish Kumar's political maneuvering, stating, “Nitish Kumar has started a new trend in Bihar that even if 5-10 candidates of his party win, he will form a coalition and come to power.”

Kishor also took aim at the BJP, questioning its continued support for Kumar despite his frequent party shifts. “If he is still backed by the BJP, this clearly means that the BJP wants to remain part of the government in Bihar,” he said.

His remarks came a day after seven new ministers were sworn into the Bihar cabinet, with the BJP significantly strengthening its presence in the state government. The expansion, which took place six months before the end of the government’s term, saw portfolios being reshuffled across key departments.

“All but one of the ministers getting new responsibilities belong to the BJP, the alliance partner of Nitish Kumar,” according to a government notification. With the expansion, the BJP now holds 21 of the 36 cabinet positions.

Among the notable changes, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha was stripped of the crucial road construction department, which was reassigned to Nitin Nabin. In turn, Nabin handed over the law department to Mangal Pandey, while Sinha retained the mines and geology portfolio and gained additional charge of agriculture. Pandey continues to oversee the health department.

Santosh Kumar Suman, son of Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, retained minor water resources, though his IT and disaster management portfolios were reassigned to new ministers Krishna Kumar Mantu and Vijay Kumar Mandal.

Other changes included Raju Kumar Singh taking over tourism, Sunil Kumar getting environment, forestry, and climate change, and Sanjay Saraogi being given revenue and land reforms, a department previously held by state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, who resigned ahead of the expansion.

In his remarks, Prashant Kishor also alleged that the last-minute ministerial appointments were a sign of deeper corruption in the government. “Swearing in 7 new ministers 6 months before the term of this government ends simply means that they want to loot the people before going,” he claimed.