Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor registered his maiden electoral victory on Monday, winning the Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar and handing his newly formed party its first-ever election win.
The counting of votes concluded after 31 rounds, with Kishor securing 63,203 votes against BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha's 44,250 votes. RJD candidate Rekha Gupta finished a distant third with 14,085 votes.
Kishor won by a margin of 18,953 votes. Although counting has concluded, the Election Commission was yet to formally declare the result at the time of the latest update.
Bankipur, traditionally considered a BJP stronghold, was vacated after BJP leader Nitin Nabin was elected to the Rajya Sabha. Voting for the bypoll was held on July 30 in a three-cornered contest involving the BJP, Jan Suraaj Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Addressing the media during the counting, Kishor said the verdict was not just his personal victory but a message from the people of Bihar to the BJP leadership.
"They want a good Chief Minister who can improve education, create employment opportunities for the youth, and ensure that the children of Bihar do not have to migrate elsewhere for work. Bihar needs good leadership and real development. Before the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and Amit Shah should focus on improving Bihar, creating jobs for its youth and stopping migration. That is our only objective. We do not want to become MLAs merely to award contracts. Our sole objective is the development of Bihar," he said.
Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Kishor said Bihar needs leadership that prioritises education, employment and development.
As he moved towards victory in his electoral debut, Kishor also sought to temper expectations.
"My becoming an MLA won't turn Bankipur into Bengaluru, but you will see some improvements happening here over the next two to three months. My first task will be to improve Bankipur with the blessings the people have given me. I don't want to make grand boasts," he said.
Reacting to the outcome, Bihar minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha said the party respects the democratic mandate and accepts the people's verdict.
He emphasised that the BJP neither blames the Election Commission nor Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) when it loses an election.
According to Sinha, the party has complete faith in democracy and constitutional institutions and will review the Bankipur result at the organisational level to identify shortcomings and understand why it failed to retain the seat.
He also pointed out that the NDA had won 202 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, saying the bypoll result should be viewed in that broader context. He maintained that the BJP continues to enjoy public support and will move forward with renewed determination.
BJP's Bihar unit president Sanjay Saraogi also accepted the verdict with humility.
"Whatever the result, the BJP will accept it with humility. In a democratic system, the people's decision is supreme, and our party fully respects it," Saraogi said.
He added that the BJP would conduct a detailed organisational review to understand why Bankipur voters shifted away from the party despite the development work carried out in the constituency, while reiterating that the BJP's commitment to Bankipur's development would continue regardless of the election outcome.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram said the Bankipur verdict would send a strong political message to the BJP.
"Bankipur (Prashant Kishor - JSP) and Datia (Ghanshyam Singh - Congress) will send a strong message to the BJP. The lead is unlikely to be overturned but we shall await the final results," Chidambaram posted on X.
The victory marks a major political milestone for Prashant Kishor, who contested an Assembly election for the first time after years of shaping election campaigns for several major political parties. Once the Election Commission formally notifies the result, Kishor will enter the Bihar Assembly as the MLA from Bankipur, marking a significant electoral breakthrough for the Jan Suraaj Party.
