Prashant Kishor finally has reason to celebrate. After months of extensive campaigning, grassroots outreach and sustained efforts across Bankipur, the Jan Suraaj founder achieved a landmark victory on Monday by defeating the BJP in the crucial Bankipur Assembly bypoll, ending the party's uninterrupted three-decade dominance in one of its strongest constituencies in Bihar.
Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by 19,324 votes, securing 64,151 votes against Sinha's 44,827. RJD candidate Rekha Gupta finished a distant third with 14,273 votes. After taking an early lead during counting, Kishor steadily increased his margin, with his victory becoming almost certain by the 15th round of the total 32 rounds.
EARLY START GAVE KISHOR AN EDGE
The win was the culmination of months of preparation by the Jan Suraaj chief, who began campaigning nearly two months before the BJP and RJD launched their full-fledged election drives. During this period, he organised public meetings, conducted widespread door-to-door campaigns and established a booth-level network across the constituency, giving his party an early advantage.
Throughout the campaign, Kishor portrayed the bypoll as a "referendum on the Samrat Choudhary government". His campaign focused on issues such as employment, education and governance, while making a special effort to connect with first-time and Gen Z voters.
The BJP, on the other hand, viewed the election as a prestige battle, deploying around 40 star campaigners along with thousands of party workers to retain the seat. Several senior leaders actively campaigned in the constituency during the final phase of polling.
'BANKIPUR WILL SEE CHANGES'
After his victory became evident, Kishor told reporters that his immediate focus would be to live up to the faith 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.
He also sought to manage expectations, saying his election as an MLA would not transform Bankipur "into Bengaluru overnight", but assured residents that noticeable improvements would begin to emerge within the next few months.
MESSAGE FOR BJP LEADERSHIP
Kishor said the bypoll result had conveyed a strong 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.
The bypoll was held after the seat became vacant following the resignation of BJP leader Nitin Nabin, who was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.
BJP ACCEPTS DEFEAT, TO REVIEW PERFORMANCE
Responding to the result, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi congratulated Kishor and said the party would conduct a comprehensive review to identify 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 verdict and would introspect rather than question 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. We will conduct a thorough review to understand where the mistakes were made and 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.
