PK breaches BJP fort: Prashant Kishor set to be MLA from Bihar's Bankipur on debut

Prashant Kishor polled about 50% of the votes and led across the rounds of counting

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday scripted landmark success on his personal electoral debut, achieving an unassailable lead by the last round of counting in the Bankipur assembly bypoll in Bihar. A win would secure his party's first-ever seat in the state legislature after zero in the assembly elections last year.

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This comes from a constituency that remained a BJP stronghold for over three decades, and was last held multiple times by BJP's new national president Nitin Nabin. The result is likely to bolster strategist-turned-leader Kishor's efforts to position the Jan Suraaj Party as an alternative political force in the state.

PK characterised the bypoll as a referendum on Samrat Choudhary-led BJP government in the state. It also comes at a time when the BJP's central regime led by PM Narendra Modi is facing criticism over recent youth protests.

Prashant Kishor polled about 50% of the votes and led across the rounds of counting, defeating BJP's Neeraj Kumar Sinha and RJD's Rekha Gupta.

Kishor described it as “the victory of the people of Bankipur” and reiterated that the contest was not a usual election. “As we stated during the election campaign, this was not just an election to choose an MLA. It was an attempt by the people of Bihar to send a message to the BJP's central leadership that they should appoint a good person as the Chief Minister of Bihar,” Kishor said.

He said the people of Bihar wanted a chief minister who could improve education, generate employment for the youth and curb migration from the state.

"The important point is that Bihar needs good leadership and real development... We do not want to become MLAs merely to award contracts. Our sole objective is the development of Bihar," he added

The Bankipur bypoll marked Kishor's first electoral contest after years of working as an election strategist for several political parties, many of which went on to win elections.

His decision to enter the fray came months after Jan Suraaj drew a blank in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, failing to win a single seat despite fielding candidates across the state.

The 48-year-old had framed the bypoll as more than a fight for a single seat. While announcing his candidature, he called it a “referendum” on the BJP-led government in Bihar headed by CM Samrat Choudhary.

He had also said that even if elected as the lone Jan Suraaj MLA, he would be enough to raise the Opposition's voice in the Assembly.

The bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 34.3 per cent, down by more than seven percentage points from the 41.45 per cent registered in the last assembly elections.

The BJP held Bankipur for more than three decades through senior leader Nitin Nabin and his father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha.

The bypoll was necessitated after Nabin vacated the seat following his appointment as the BJP's national president and election to the Rajya Sabha.

The BJP's campaign saw an unexpected twist after the party replaced its original nominee, Abhishek Kumar Sinha, less than 30 hours after he filed his nomination papers. Citing "family reasons", the BJP withdrew his candidature and fielded 32-year-old Neeraj Kumar Sinha instead. The party did not explain the sudden change, though his family later cited the naming of his father in a fodder scam-related case.

For Kishor, who launched the Jan Suraaj Party after his statewide padayatra, Bankipur was the first electoral test of his political experiment.

He campaigned on issues such as governance, education, employment and corruption, seeking to position Jan Suraaj as an alternative to both the NDA and the RJD-Congress Mahagathbandhan, whom he accused of playing identity of politics of religion and caste.

Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More