Popular YouTuber and controversial journalist Manish Kashyap will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections from the Chanpatia constituency on a Jan Suraaj Party ticket, marking his second electoral attempt from the same seat. The 34-year-old digital influencer, known for his hard-hitting grassroots reporting through his YouTube channel “Sach Tak News,” announced on Tuesday that he will file his nomination papers on October 18, 2025.
Nomination Announcement and Party Confirmation
In a social media post shared on the auspicious occasion of (October 14), Kashyap wrote: “Dear people of Champaran, with your blessings and support, on October 18, I, Manish Kashyap, will file my nomination for the Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections 2025 from Chanpatia Assembly constituency”.
Accompanying his announcement was a photograph with Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, signaling his official candidacy under the party’s banner. While Jan Suraaj has not yet issued a formal statement confirming his candidacy, Kashyap’s public declaration and photograph with Kishor have solidified expectations that he will be the party’s nominee for Chanpatia.
“This is not just an election, but a pledge to bring the voice of the people to the legislative assembly,” Kashyap stated in his post, appealing to voters to witness this “historic moment” and support his “people’s movement”.
Previous Ticket Controversy and Party Dynamics
Kashyap’s candidacy comes after a brief controversy surrounding Jan Suraaj’s second list of candidates. On October 13, the party released its second candidate list, initially prepared with 66 names but ultimately announcing only 65. Political circles buzzed with speculation that the removed name belonged to Manish Kashyap, who had been “put on hold”.
However, within 24 hours, Kashyap clarified the situation in media interviews, revealing that he had spoken with Prashant Kishor over the phone and that his candidacy from Chanpatia had been finalized. Sources close to the party suggested that the delay was strategic, possibly related to ensuring proper caste balance and candidate selection across constituencies.
Jan Suraaj has so far announced 116 candidates for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly, with its first list containing 51 names and the second list featuring 65 candidates. The party has committed to contesting all 243 seats and has emphasized inclusive representation, particularly for Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), with plans to field candidates from this community in 70 constituencies.
Who is Manish Kashyap?
Born as Tripurari Kumar Tiwari on March 9, 1991, in Damaria village of Mahanwa in West Champaran district, Manish Kashyap is popularly known as the “Son of Bihar”. After completing his intermediate education in 2009, he moved to Pune to study Civil Engineering at Savitribai Phule University, graduating in 2016.
Rather than pursuing a conventional engineering career, Kashyap launched his YouTube channel “Sach Tak News” in July 2018, focusing on grassroots journalism that exposed corruption, medical negligence, infrastructure scams, and social injustices. His bold, unfiltered reporting style quickly resonated with audiences, and his channel now boasts over 6.4 million subscribers with nearly 4,000 videos.
His reporting style is characterized by confrontational questioning at government offices, police stations, hospitals, and crime scenes, often featuring loud exchanges and direct challenges to officials. This approach earned him a massive following, particularly among rural populations and youth disillusioned with traditional media.
Political Journey and Controversies
Kashyap first entered electoral politics in the 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections, contesting as an independent candidate from Chanpatia with the symbol of a farmer riding a tractor. In that election, he secured 9,239 votes (5.26% vote share), finishing third behind BJP’s Umakant Singh (83,828 votes, 47.69%) and Congress’s Abhishek Ranjan (70,359 votes, 40.03%).
His political career has been marked by significant legal troubles. In March 2023, Kashyap was arrested by Bihar Police for allegedly circulating fake videos claiming that migrant workers from Bihar were being attacked in Tamil Nadu. The videos sparked a political firestorm and prompted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to send a team to Tamil Nadu to investigate.
The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police registered three cases against him, froze four of his bank accounts, and eventually arrested him after he surrendered at Jagdishpur police station in West Champaran. Subsequently, Tamil Nadu Police detained him under the National Security Act (NSA). He approached the Supreme Court for interim relief and filed applications to club all FIRs lodged against him in various locations.
In April 2024, after being released on bail, Kashyap joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, his tenure with the BJP was short-lived. In May 2024, he had an altercation with junior doctors at Patna Medical College and Hospital when he attempted to intervene for a patient, after which he claimed the doctors locked him in a room and assaulted him.
Following this incident, Kashyap quit the BJP in June 2024, stating: “I couldn’t protect myself while being in the BJP. How can I help others?”. He formally joined Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party on July 7, 2024, in a ceremony at Bapu Bhavan in Patna.
Prashant Kishor’s Welcome and Political Strategy
Welcoming Kashyap to Jan Suraaj, Prashant Kishor praised the YouTuber’s independent rise to prominence: “Manish Kashyap is not just a YouTuber for Jan Suraj, nor is he a former BJP leader, but he is a son of Bihar who has carved out his identity through his own strength, hard work, and wisdom, and wants to do something for the state”.
Kishor described Jan Suraaj as “a system that provides opportunities to every young man or individual who wants to contribute to Bihar,” adding that Kashyap would play “a significant role in this campaign for change in Bihar”.
The alliance between Kishor and Kashyap represents a convergence of grassroots digital influence and political strategy. Kishor noted: “This is not just the coming together of two young men, but of thousands of youngsters who want to bring about a change in Bihar and get rid of the Lalu, Nitish and Modi rule”.
Chanpatia Constituency: Electoral Landscape
Chanpatia is a general category assembly constituency in the Paschim Champaran district of Bihar, falling under the Paschim Champaran Lok Sabha seat. The constituency has historically been a BJP stronghold, with the party winning the seat in 2020, 2015, 2010, 2005, and 2000.
In the 2020 elections, the BJP’s Umakant Singh secured a comfortable victory with a margin of 13,469 votes over the Congress candidate. The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 63.82% with 175,774 votes polled out of an electorate of approximately 275,000.
The 2015 election was significantly closer, with BJP’s Prakash Rai defeating JD(U)’s N.N. Sahi by a razor-thin margin of just 464 votes. This suggests that while the BJP has dominated the constituency in recent years, electoral fortunes can shift with the right candidate and campaign strategy.
Ground Support and Campaign Activities
Since joining Jan Suraaj, Kashyap has been actively engaged in door-to-door campaigning across Chanpatia. Videos on his YouTube channel and social media show him addressing large gatherings and conducting grassroots outreach in villages throughout the constituency.
His supporters have been vocal on social media with the slogan “Chanpatia Maange Manish Kashyap” (Chanpatia demands Manish Kashyap), indicating strong local support among his follower base. However, his candidacy faces significant challenges from the entrenched NDA and opposition alliances.
Jan Suraaj’s Electoral Strategy
Kashyap’s candidacy is part of Prashant Kishor’s broader strategy to disrupt Bihar’s traditional political equations. The Jan Suraaj Party, making its electoral debut, has positioned itself as an alternative to both the NDA alliance (BJP, JD(U), LJP) and the Mahagathbandhan (RJD, Congress, Left parties).
Kishor has vowed that Jan Suraaj will contest all 243 assembly seats without allying with either major coalition. The party’s candidate selection emphasizes social engineering, with significant representation for Extremely Backward Classes, Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and minority communities.
In his second candidate list announcement, Kishor declared his intention to field candidates from the EBC community in 70 seats, directly challenging the vote banks of both JD(U) and RJD. The party has included professionals from diverse fields—doctors, engineers, professors, retired police officers, and lawyers—alongside political activists and grassroots leaders.
Significantly, Prashant Kishor has confirmed he will not personally contest the elections, choosing instead to focus on party organization and campaign strategy. This decision came after speculation that he might contest from either Raghopur (Tejashwi Yadav’s constituency) or Kargahar, but Jan Suraaj has now announced candidates for both these seats.
Electoral Context and Timeline
The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, 2025, with vote counting scheduled for November 14. Over 7.43 crore voters are eligible to participate across 243 constituencies.
Kashyap’s nomination on October 18 falls within the first phase nomination deadline of October 17 for constituencies voting on November 6. Chanpatia is expected to vote in one of these two phases, though the exact phase allocation for this constituency has not been specified in available sources.
Challenges and Electoral Prospects
Kashyap faces formidable challenges in his bid to win Chanpatia. The constituency’s strong BJP history, combined with the established party machinery of both the NDA and opposition alliances, presents significant obstacles for a debutant party like Jan Suraaj.
However, Kashyap brings several assets to his campaign: a massive digital following of over 6 million YouTube subscribers, name recognition across Bihar, a reputation as a fearless voice against corruption, and the organizational support of Prashant Kishor’s well-funded political operation.
His 2020 performance, securing over 9,000 votes as an independent candidate with minimal resources, demonstrates his ability to mobilize support. With Jan Suraaj’s backing, professional campaign management, and his enhanced profile following his various controversies and BJP membership, Kashyap could significantly improve his vote share.
Prashant Kishor has predicted that the NDA is “definitely on its way out” and set an ambitious target of winning at least 150 seats for Jan Suraaj. Whether Kashyap can contribute to this goal from Chanpatia will depend on his ability to convert his digital influence into ground-level electoral support and capitalize on any anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling NDA coalition.
As the “Son of Bihar” prepares to file his nomination on October 18, his candidacy represents a test case for whether social media influence and grassroots digital journalism can translate into electoral success in India’s complex and caste-driven political landscape
