Bihar-based social media influencer Manish Kashyap, who recently quit the BJP, joined Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party on Monday, July 7, ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections 2025. He joined the party with a group of supporters in the presence of Kishor.
Kashyap, whose YouTube account boasts of nearly one crore subscribers, had first come into the limelight a few years ago after he was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police for posting alleged fake videos of Bihari migrants being mistreated in the southern state.
He was inducted into the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year, but was not given a ticket. In June, Kashyap announced his resignation in a video message, alleging that the BJP "used" him till the Delhi assembly elections and left him in the lurch thereafter.
Earlier, Kashyap announced his decision to quit the BJP during a Facebook Live in June. Citing his neglect by the party, he said that he could not effectively raise the people's voice while in the saffron. Pictures of his meeting with Janasuraj vice-president YV Giri and Prashant Kishor went viral, fuelling speculation about his next political move.
Kashyap is likely to contest the upcoming Assembly elections from the Chanpatia seat in the West Champaran district. In 2020, he contested from the same constituency as an independent candidate and finished third. Chanpatia is part of West Champaran, where Manish has a strong support base among the youth and EBC communities.