After delivering a stunning upset in the BJP’s Bankipur stronghold in the Bihar bypolls on Monday, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor termed the verdict a “wake-up call” for Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, saying the state needs a leadership focused on education, jobs and curbing migration.
“This is a wake-up call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bihar needs a chief minister who can improve education, create jobs and stop migration. Our objective is not to become MLAs for contracts but to ensure Bihar’s development,” Kishor said.
Kishor Rules Out Possibility Of Any Alliance
Ruling out any possibility of joining hands with established political parties, Kishor said Jan Suraaj would continue to chart an independent course in Bihar politics and that its only alliance would be with the people of the state.
“We shall have no alliance. Our alliance shall be with the people of Bihar. You should see that the people of Bankipur have voted for us, giving up on established parties,” he said when asked whether his party would reconsider its stand of contesting elections on its own.
The Jan Suraaj chief, who defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar, said his victory was made possible not just by his party workers but also by disgruntled supporters of the BJP, Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Also Read: The Fortress Falls: How Prashant Kishor Broke Nitin Nabin’s 35-Year Stronghold In Bankipur
“I would like to thank my active supporters as well as those who backed me in the by-election, despite not being with Jan Suraaj. I received support from people in BJP, Congress and RJD, who were unhappy with the state of affairs in their party,” Kishor said.
A Gen Z Impact?
The former election strategist, whose fledgling party had failed to win a seat in last year’s Bihar Assembly polls, also said the “atmosphere created by Gen Z protests” may have influenced the bypoll outcome, though he acknowledged there was no evidence that young voters had turned out in large numbers.
“But there is nothing to show that young electors had voted in large numbers in Bankipur. It is unfortunate, but that is the reality,” he said, referring to the less than 35% voter turnout recorded on polling day.
Kishor, making his electoral debut, described the result as a verdict against Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, alleging that educated voters had rejected his leadership.
‘Mandate Against Samrat Choudhary’
The IPAC founder, who quit political consultancy in 2021 to launch Jan Suraaj, said the mandate was “essentially against Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, against whom I have nothing personal, but who is detested by educated people of Bihar because of criminal antecedents and lack of qualifications”.
He further argued that if Choudhary had been chosen to lead the state because he belongs to the politically influential Kushwaha community, the BJP could replace him with another leader from the same caste who had a “cleaner background.”
The Bankipur bypoll, which Kishor had described as a “referendum” on the BJP-led government in Bihar, was necessitated after five-time MLA Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha after becoming the BJP’s national president.
Also Read: Alarm Bells For BJP? Decoding Prashant Kishor’s Bankipur Upset In Bihar
With the victory, Jan Suraaj has entered the Bihar Assembly for the first time, countering allegations from rivals that it was merely the BJP’s “B team.” Kishor said the result also carried a larger political message for aspiring leaders in the state.
“My doors are open not only to the people of Bankipur but to every individual across Bihar who believes that Prashant Kishor or Jan Suraaj can be of assistance to them. While our voice is currently that of a single MLA, we were raising the concerns of those suffering under the prevailing system across Bihar even before holding this office. We will continue to do so with even greater strength,” he said.
“Regarding today’s victory, for all the young people aspiring to enter politics, those who believe the shackles of caste in Bihar cannot be broken or that politics here cannot transcend the two dominant streams, the result in Bankipur will serve as a powerful eye-opener,” he added.
Reacting to the result, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated Kishor in a post on X, describing the bypoll as “the grand festival of democracy.”
Bankipur Assembly Bypolls
The Bankipur Assembly bypoll delivered one of the biggest political upsets in Bihar in recent years, with Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by over 19,000 votes in the party’s traditional stronghold.
The seat had remained with the BJP since 1995 and fell vacant after five-term MLA Nitin Nabin was elected to the Rajya Sabha following his appointment as the BJP’s national president.
The victory gave Jan Suraaj its first-ever seat in the Bihar Assembly, marking Kishor’s successful electoral debut and ending the BJP’s three-decade dominance in the constituency.
