Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor took the oath as the Bankipur MLA at the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Monday, following his victory in the constituency’s by-election.
Addressing reporters after
taking the oath, Kishor said, “To be a member of the House in which people like Krishna Sinha, Karpoori Thakur, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Kedar Pandey, Ram Vilas Paswan, and Sushil Kumar Modi served, is a matter of pride for me.”
Calling his new role “a big responsibility”, Kishor said he would draw inspiration from “hundreds of MLAs who dedicated the valuable years of their lives to the betterment of society and the state”.
Kishor’s victory in Bankipur marked his first electoral win. The BJP has held the urban constituency since 1995. He defeated his nearest rival by 19,324 votes in the by-election, which was necessitated after the seat was vacated by BJP national president Nitin Nabin.
Before the election, Kishor had said he was not looking for a “safe seat” and had intentionally chosen Bankipur to convey that voters in Bihar should move beyond caste and religion.
The win came after the Jan Suraaj Party failed to secure a seat in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. According to the Election Commission, voter turnout in the Bankipur by-election stood at 34.24 per cent.
Following the results, Kishor said, “This time, the people of Bankipur have made us win, and they have done so because they have hope and trust that we will raise our voices for their rights to the best of our ability, and we will make every possible effort to ensure nothing wrong happens to them.”
Kishor said his agenda extended beyond Bankipur and was aimed at pursuing a broader goal for Bihar.
