PK-O: Prashant Kishor stuns BJP in Bankipur, first poll win for Jan Suraaj

The victory marks the end of the BJP's uninterrupted 35-year hold over the constituency, one of its strongest bastions in Bihar since 1995. The result is being seen as a major political breakthrough for Kishor ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.Prashant Kishor widens lead in Bankipur, BJP's 31-year stronghold under threatJan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor scripted history on Monday by winning the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar, securing his party's maiden electoral victory. Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by 18,953 votes, polling 63,203 votes against Sinha's 44,250, while RJD's Rekha Gupta finished a distant third with 14,085 votes.The result ended the BJP's uninterrupted 35-year dominance over one of its strongest bastions in Bihar and is being seen as a major political breakthrough for Kishor ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.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.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Aug 3, 2026 17:32 IST