The Jan Suraaj Party faced a tragic blow on Friday after its Tarari Assembly candidate, Chandrashekhar Singh, died of a heart attack hours after the Bihar election results were announced. Singh, a respected retired headmaster from Kurmuri village, passed away while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Patna.
His sudden death shocked party supporters and his community, turning what was already a disappointing election day for the party into a heartbreaking one.
Second Heart Attack Claims His Life
Singh’s health had been fragile for weeks. He suffered his first heart attack on October 31 while campaigning in Tarari and was admitted to a hospital in Patna. Doctors monitored his condition, but he continued to remain under treatment as poll day approached.
On Friday around 4 pm, just as election results settled across Bihar, Singh suffered a second and more severe heart attack. Doctors attempted to revive him, but they declared him dead soon after. His passing created a wave of grief among Jan Suraaj volunteers who had campaigned alongside him.
According to Election Commission data, Singh secured 2,271 votes in Tarari, while BJP’s Vishal Prashant won the seat with a clear margin.
A Respected Figure Inspired by Prashant Kishor
Singh spent most of his life as a teacher before retiring as a headmaster. Though he never belonged to a political family, he earned respect in his region for his simple lifestyle, dedication to education, and community involvement. Many in Kurmuri village looked up to him as a mentor.
He joined public life after being inspired by Prashant Kishor and the formation of the Jan Suraaj Party. The party leadership gave him the opportunity to contest the election, seeing his strong local goodwill and credibility.
His village plunged into mourning as news of his death spread. Family members travelled from Patna to Ara with his body, which was yet to reach his home at the time of reporting.
Jan Suraaj Party Draws a Blank in Its Debut Election
The tragedy struck on a day when the Jan Suraaj Party already struggled with election outcomes. Despite contesting 238 constituencies, the party failed to win a single seat in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. It entered the elections with high visibility and public curiosity, but could not convert its momentum into votes.
Election data shows that most JSP candidates received less than 10% of the vote share, causing many to lose their security deposits.
The party’s best performance came from the Marhaura constituency, where Naveen Kumar Singh (Abhay Singh) finished second. However, he still trailed by 27,928 votes behind RJD’s Jitendra Kumar Rai, highlighting the steep challenge the party faced in the state.
Campaign Buzz Fails to Translate into Votes
Prashant Kishor campaigned extensively, raising issues such as unemployment, migration, and industrial stagnation. Yet, the messaging did not resonate sufficiently at the booth level. The Jan Suraaj Party now faces the dual challenge of coping with a candidate’s tragic death and rebuilding its political strategy for the future.
