Rs 14,000 Cr From World Bank Diverted For Bihar Election: Jan Suraaj Leader's Big Claim After Poll Loss

Pavan Verma, the Spokesperson and one of the key architects of the Jan Suraaj Party, in a big allegation, stated that the funds from the World Bank meant for some other project were diverted for the Bihar Assembly elections by the central government and distributed to women voters in the state.

The allegation was made in reference to the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) promise of transferring Rs 10,000 to the account of 1.25 crore women voters under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.

In an interview with news agency ANI, Kumar said, “The public debt in Bihar is at present 4,06,000 crores. The interest per day is 63 crores. The treasury is empty. We have information which could be wrong, also that the amount of Rs 10,000 given to women

in the state was given from Rs 21,000 crores, which came from the World Bank for some other project.”

“An hour before the moral code of conduct for the polls, Rs 14,000 crores were taken out and distributed to 1.25 crore women in the state,” he alleged.

He further added that the allegation made by him may or may not be true. “As I have said, this is our information. If it is wrong, I seek forgiveness. But if it is true, then the question arises as to how far this is ethical. It is possible that, legally, you cannot do anything. The government can divert funds and later give explanations.”

“Explanation will come after the election. There are upcoming polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other BJP-ruled states. You make promises, and the other party gives money, it is going to affect the voters differently,” he said.

The Jan Suraaj Party leader then stated that there were rumours in Bihar that if the NDA is not voted to power, then the remaining amount will not be transferred.

“There are four crore women voters in Bihar, and 2.5 crores have not received the amount. The remaining women felt that if the NDA does not come to power, then we will not receive the benefit. Our ambitions being a new party were excessive, but our message was right and the response was good,” he added.

Reacting to the question of whether social welfare schemes like Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana will be the X factor in polls, he said that Prime Minister Modi has himself criticised giving freebies.

“PM Modi has himself criticised giving freebies. Maybe he had said it in the context of the Delhi Assembly and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Now what happened in Bihar?” he said.

He refuted that the party’s poor performance in the Bihar Assembly polls could be attributed to founder Prashant Kishor’s promise to lift the liquor ban in Bihar if voted to power.

Verma attributed the party’s loss to other factors, including the last-minute transfer of Rs 10,000 and the ruling party’s policies towards women.

The newly formed Jan Suraaj Party, founded by election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, faced a major setback in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Election, failing to secure a single seat despite contesting in almost all 243 constituencies.

The NDA’s ‘tsunami’ swept away the opposition RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finishing a close second with 85. The other allies of the ruling coalition also registered high strike rates as Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats.

(With agency inputs)