Political strategist Prashant Kishor has asserted that the ₹10,000 cash transfer to women in Bihar played a decisive role in the recent election outcome. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Kishor stated that without this scheme, the ruling Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] would have been "bundled up with just 25 seats".

Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj Party failed to make a mark in the polls, took full responsibility for his party's performance. He said that he failed to read Bihar properly, unlike Nitish Kumar and the BJP's Samrat Choudhary, who he accused of dividing people along caste and religious lines and buying votes with public money.

The scheme in question involves the Bihar government providing ₹10,000 to women, with a promise of an additional ₹2 lakh under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojna for self-employment initiatives. Kishor claimed that the government disbursed ₹10,000 to 60,000-62,000 women in every assembly constituency. He estimates that nearly ₹29,000 crore was disbursed through networks involving government functionaries.

Kishor has challenged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to fulfill the promise of providing ₹2 lakh to 1.5 crore women within six months. He announced that if the government fails to do so, it will become clear that the money was intended to buy votes. Furthermore, Kishor declared that he would retire from politics if the NDA government fulfills its poll promise and disburses the ₹2 lakh to the 1.5 crore women.

Kishor has also announced a public contact number (91216 91216) for people to report if they do not receive the promised funds, vowing to stand by these women and fight to secure their rights.

In addition to criticizing the use of cash transfers, Kishor raised concerns about voting irregularities, citing the example of the Madhubani constituency. He noted that a candidate from Upendra Kushwaha's party won with over a lakh votes, yet many voters did not even know the party's symbol. While not alleging fraud, he stated that these results deserve investigation.

Kishor has announced he would observe a day-long silent fast at the Bidharva Gandhi Ashram on November 20 "as an act of atonement" for not meeting people's expectations. Despite the setback in the recent elections, Kishor asserted that he would neither retire from active politics nor leave the state.