Patna, Bihar: The Supreme Court has delivered a setback to the Jan Suraj Party by refusing to hear its petition challenging the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. The apex court clarified that it cannot issue a sweeping directive to cancel the elections across the state at the behest of a political party.
Petition Alleged Misuse of Welfare Scheme
The Jan Suraj Party had requested fresh elections in Bihar, citing alleged misuse of a welfare scheme intended to influence voters. The party claimed that the state government violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by transferring ₹10,000 each to women beneficiaries under the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme after the election schedule was announced.
Bench Advises Approaching Patna High Court
The petition was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Suryakant and Justice Jaymala Bagchi. The bench directed senior advocate C.U. Singh, representing the petitioner, to approach the Patna High Court, noting that the matter pertains exclusively to a single state and is therefore outside the scope of the Supreme Court’s intervention.
Election Results and Political Context
In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retained power by winning 202 seats. Opposition parties, under the ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ (‘INDIA’ coalition), secured 35 seats. The Jan Suraj Party failed to win any seats, with most of its candidates losing their deposits.
Alleged Election Code Violation
The petition alleged that the post-election announcement transfers under the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme violated the election code, requesting action under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act. The scheme aims to promote self-employment and micro-businesses among women by providing an initial grant of ₹10,000 each. The party claimed that the state disbursed ₹15,600 crore just before the elections, denying equal opportunity to other political parties.