While several Opposition leaders congratulated Prashant Kishor on his landmark victory in the Bankipur bypoll, RJD MP Misa Bharti took a contrasting stance, describing him as a "fox" and alleging that his candidature had the BJP's tacit support.
Speaking to India Today TV, Bharti downplayed Kishor's victory and claimed that, instead of the BJP's official candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, Kishor was effectively the party's real contender.
"You may think the BJP's candidate was Neeraj Kumar, but he was not the real candidate. The candidate was Prashant Kishor," she said.
Bharti alleged that the BJP had backed Kishor to counter the RJD in Bankipur, a constituency long regarded as one of the party's strongest urban strongholds.
"We accept the people's verdict. But one must remember that Bankipur is a staunchly pro-BJP constituency," she added.
'NOT A SETBACK FOR BJP'
Bharti further argued that the BJP's official defeat should not necessarily be viewed as a political loss for the party.
"The BJP candidate has been defeated. But if Prashant Kishor has won from there, then, in a way, it is still the BJP that has won," she claimed.
She also questioned the BJP's decision to change its candidate, alleging that the party had indirectly supported Kishor after concluding that it would struggle to retain the seat on its own.
"Look at how the candidates were changed. Why was the BJP candidate replaced? It appears that the BJP did not believe it could win on its own, which is why Prashant Kishor was fielded," Bharti alleged.
The RJD leader also attempted to temper the enthusiasm surrounding Kishor's campaign, saying several of the promises he made during the election would be difficult to deliver.
"During the campaign, Prashant Kishor made many promises. Some of them seem impossible to fulfil," she said.
DEFENDS TEJASHWI YADAV'S ABSENCE
Bharti dismissed criticism that the RJD had run a weak campaign and defended Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav's absence from Bankipur.
"He was on a personal visit and was therefore unavailable," she said.
She then turned her criticism towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning his overseas engagements while protests over the NEET controversy were taking place in India.
"Was giving Melody toffees to the Italian Prime Minister official work?" Bharti asked, referring to a viral video of PM Modi during his visit to Italy in May.
PRASHANT KISHOR'S BANKIPUR WIN
In the Bankipur bypoll, Kishor maintained his lead over BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha throughout all 36 rounds of counting before securing victory by a margin of 19,324 votes.
The Jan Suraaj founder polled 64,151 votes, while Sinha received 44,827. RJD candidate Rekha Kumari finished a distant third with 14,273 votes.
The victory marked Jan Suraaj's first-ever electoral success and ended the BJP's uninterrupted 35-year dominance in one of its strongest constituencies in Bihar.
The bypoll was held after BJP national president Nitin Nabin vacated the Bankipur Assembly seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
