Daijiworld Media Network – Patna

Patna, Aug 3: Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor scripted a major political breakthrough on Monday by securing his party’s maiden electoral victory in the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar, defeating the BJP and ending its uninterrupted 35-year hold over one of its strongest bastions in the State.

Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by a margin of 19,324 votes, polling 64,151 votes against Sinha’s 44,827. RJD’s Rekha Gupta finished a distant third with 14,273 votes.

Having surged ahead in the early counting trends, Kishor steadily widened his lead, with his victory becoming virtually certain by the 15th round of counting out of a total of 32 rounds.

The Bankipur bypoll was necessitated after the seat fell vacant following the resignation of BJP leader Nitin Nabin, who later entered the Rajya Sabha.

Months of groundwork deliver historic win

The victory marked the culmination of months of relentless groundwork by Kishor, who hit the campaign trail nearly two months before the BJP and RJD launched their full-fledged election campaigns.

During this period, the Jan Suraaj founder held public meetings, carried out extensive door-to-door outreach and built a booth-level organisation across the constituency, giving his fledgling party a head start over his rivals.

Throughout the campaign, Kishor projected the by-election as a “referendum on the Samrat Choudhary government”, focusing on employment, education and governance issues while placing special emphasis on first-time voters and Gen Z voters.

The BJP treated the contest as a prestige battle and deployed around 40 star campaigners along with thousands of party workers to retain the seat. Several senior BJP leaders campaigned extensively in Bankipur during the final phase of the election.

‘Bankipur will see changes’: Kishor

Speaking to reporters after his victory became clear, Kishor said his immediate priority was to honour the trust placed in him by the people of Bankipur.

“Our first priority after this victory is to honour the blessings and trust that the people of Bankipur have placed in us. We will do everything we can to improve Bankipur. You will begin to see those changes over the next two to three months,” he said.

However, Kishor tempered expectations, saying his election as an MLA would not transform Bankipur “into Bengaluru overnight”, but assured residents that visible improvements would begin to take shape within the next few months.

Kishor sends message to BJP leadership

Kishor also claimed that the verdict had delivered a clear political message to the BJP leadership. “The people of Bankipur have sent a clear message to the BJP leadership: ‘Please appoint a good person as the Chief Minister of Bihar.’ ... Whoever is chosen should be a capable and upright person. Bihar must progress under all circumstances... What truly matters is the development of Bihar,” he said.

BJP accepts verdict, promises review

Reacting to the result, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi congratulated Kishor and said the party would conduct a detailed review to understand the reasons behind its defeat.

“We have consistently worked for the development of Bankipur, and it will remain our priority in the future. The people of Bankipur are our own. We will conduct a detailed review to understand why we received fewer votes,” he said.

State minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the BJP respected the people’s mandate and would introspect instead of questioning the electoral process.

“This is the land of democracy, and we respect the people's mandate. The Bharatiya Janata Party has always stood by democratic values. Unlike the opposition, we do not blame the Election Commission or the EVMs. We believe in democracy, respect constitutional institutions and accept the people's verdict,” he said.

Sinha added that the party would carry out a thorough review to identify mistakes and understand why they occurred. “This is Bihar, and it has not even been six months since we won 202 seats. People should remember that,” he said.

Kishor’s victory marks a defining moment for Jan Suraaj, transforming the organisation from a grassroots political movement into an electoral force with its first legislative success. The result also signals a fresh challenge for established parties in Bihar as the state’s political landscape enters a new phase.