Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has fielded Dr Santosh Kumar Singh, a 48-year-old physician, to contest against BJP Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in the Tarapur constituency of Munger district. Singh, who has practiced medicine for 12 years including five years in Tarapur, completed his MBBS in 2011 and holds two MD degrees. Notably, his former patients include the late Parvati Devi and six-time MLA Shakuni Choudhary, who are Samrat Choudhary's parents. Singh joined Jan Suraaj in July 2024, after which his regular phone conversations with Shakuni Choudhary ceased. Voting in Tarapur is scheduled for the first phase on November 6. The campaign reveals Jan Suraaj's unique organizational structure, featuring parallel political and professional teams. While Singh continues seeing patients at his 10-bed nursing home in Fazeliganj, his campaign focuses on promoting Kishor's vision for Bihar. The party distributes Parivar Labh Cards promising monthly assistance of Rs 20,000 per family, Rs 2,000 pensions, Rs 5 lakh loans to women, and free education for children. Despite internal friction between salaried professional teams and volunteer political teams, Singh's ground campaign emphasizes moving beyond caste and religious considerations, targeting voters across Muslim-dominated and OBC villages that other candidates have not reached.
Doctor-Turned-Candidate's Journey from BJP to Jan Suraaj
Singh first joined the BJP in 2023 as part of its district medical team but grew disillusioned when senior leaders paid little attention to grassroots workers. In 2024, he met Prashant Kishor, who hinted at fielding him from Tarapur. Since his candidature was announced, Singh has covered 25 panchayats. He charges a consultation fee of Rs 400 but waives it for poor patients. His nursing home in Fazeliganj draws patients from over 200 nearby villages reporting seasonal fevers, anaemia, dengue, and other ailments. Singh's wife Khushbu initially opposed his political entry but now actively campaigns, speaking about Kishor's vision and her husband's potential contribution as a doctor. Singh avoids attacking his rivals directly, instead focusing on education and healthcare issues while campaigning across diverse communities in the constituency.
Jan Suraaj's Dual Campaign Structure and Internal Tensions
The party operates through two verticals: political and professional teams aimed at bringing professionalism to campaigning. Assembly in-charge Shubham Kumar Shukla, a graduate from Uttar Pradesh, belongs to the Jan Suraaj Professional Team (JSPT). The structure includes Local Political Representatives at panchayat level who coordinate with Assembly in-charges, who report to district in-charges, then zonal in-charges, and ultimately state in-charge Prashant Kishor. However, this arrangement has created internal conflict. Political team members complain of interference from professional counterparts. Tarapur Vidhan Sabha prabhari Ashish Prabhat notes that JSPT handles most work, leaving political teams with smaller roles. A key friction point is that professional teams receive salaries while political teams comprise non-salaried volunteers. Shukla has been in Tarapur since March, reaching 41 panchayats, three nagar panchayats, and one nagar parishad.
Ground Campaign Through Rain and Diverse Villages
On October 31, despite drizzle turning into rain, Singh continued his scheduled campaign. By 1 pm, he reached Muslim-dominated Gorho village near Asarganj, booth number one out of 451 in Tarapur with nearly 2,000 voters. No other candidate had yet canvassed there, as BJP sees no votes and RJD considers it their pocket borough. At 2:30 pm, he visited Amaiya village, dominated by OBC Yadavs, Koeris and Kurmis, where he inquired about villagers' problems rather than directly seeking votes. Singh acknowledges challenges: when people say keep fighting, it means they will not vote for him. By 4:30 pm at Chorgawa village, he met social worker Meena Devi, who promised support. Despite encountering undecided voters and less productivity due to rain, Singh remained satisfied with reaching areas his rivals had not covered, emphasizing his campaign as sowing seeds for Kishor's vision rather than simply challenging Samrat Choudhary.
Source: Link