Patna: Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, has secured a decisive victory in the Bankipur Assembly by-election, defeating the BJP in one of its longest-held urban strongholds and marking the first electoral win of his political career.
According to the Election Commission of India, Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Sinha by 19,324 votes. After the completion of all 32 rounds of counting, Kishor secured 64,151 votes, while Neeraj Sinha polled 44,827 votes. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate, Rekha Kumari, finished third with 14,273 votes.
The result is being widely viewed as a significant political breakthrough for Jan Suraaj in a constituency that had been represented for years by senior BJP leader Nitin Navin, who vacated the seat after being elected to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.
‘Bankipur Won’t Become Bengaluru Overnight’
Speaking to supporters as counting neared its conclusion, Kishor sought to temper expectations while promising visible improvements in the constituency.
“My becoming an MLA won’t turn Bankipur into Bengaluru, but you will see some improvements here in the next two to three months,” he said.
He added that his immediate priority would be addressing local issues rather than making sweeping promises.
“My first task, with the people’s blessings, will be to make Bankipur better. You will see changes in the next two to three months. I do not wish to make tall claims.”
Renews Call For Change In Bihar’s Leadership
Kishor also used the occasion to reiterate his criticism of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, while insisting that his political fight was not against any individual.
“Our fight is not against any specific individual,” he said.
Referring to the BJP-led NDA government, he urged the alliance to appoint what he described as a capable leader with integrity to head the state.
“The BJP and NDA have the majority, so the Chief Minister will naturally be from their alliance. We are simply requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appoint a capable person of good character as Chief Minister so that Bihar can progress and its people can take pride in their identity,” he said.
View this post on Instagram
Opposition Leaders React
The outcome prompted reactions from leaders across the opposition, several of whom described the result as a setback for the BJP.
Tej Pratap Yadav, president of the Janshakti Janata Dal, and CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya both characterised the verdict as a rejection of what they called the BJP’s political arrogance.
Veteran socialist leader Shivanand Tiwari said the result should be viewed in the context of wider public discontent reflected in recent student movements.
“The mandate in Bankipur must be viewed against the backdrop of widespread discontent towards the BJP seen in recent student movements. Credit must also go to Prashant Kishor, who demonstrated extraordinary energy and organisational capability,” he said.
RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan also welcomed the outcome, saying the BJP’s defeat in its traditional stronghold was more significant than the identity of the winning candidate.
