And finally, Prashant Kishor can rest easy tonight. After months of campaigning, door-to-door outreach, and countless hours on the ground, the Jan Suraaj founder has his reward. On Monday, Kishor scripted history by securing his party’s maiden electoral victory, defeating the BJP in the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly bypoll and ending its uninterrupted 35-year hold over one of its strongest bastions in Bihar.
Talking to reporters once his victory became clear, Kishor said his immediate priority was to justify the faith reposed 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.
Tempering expectations, Kishor added that his election as an MLA would not transform Bankipur “into Bengaluru overnight”, but assured residents that visible improvements would be made within the next few months.
He also claimed the verdict carried a political message for 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. What truly matters is the development of Bihar,” he said.
Reacting to the result, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi congratulated Kishor and said the party would analyse the reasons behind its defeat. “We have consistently worked for the development of Bankipur, and it will remain our priority. 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. “We believe in democracy, respect constitutional institutions and accept the people’s verdict. We will conduct a thorough review to identify where we fell short,” he said, while reminding that the NDA had secured a decisive mandate in Bihar only months ago.
– Ends
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Aug 3, 2026 17:32 IST
