‘30-year stronghold fell in 30 days;’ Prashant Kishor says verdict a message to BJP top leadership
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘30-year stronghold fell in 30 days;’ Prashant Kishor says verdict a message to BJP top leadership")
Prashant Kishor took aim at the BJP’s leadership choices in the state of Bihar. Photograph: (ANI)
Prashant Kishor had started campaigning in Bankipur nearly two months before the BJP and the RJD launched their full-fledged campaigns. He held public meetings, conducted door-to-door campaigning, and strengthened booth-level organisationm, giving Jan SuraajParty a head start in the bypoll.
Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor won the Bankipur Assembly constituency bypoll in Bihar by a margin of 19,324 votes and said that the result was more than just electing an MLA, and called it a message to the BJP’s top leadership. Kishor was purportedly taking aim at the BJP’s leadership choices in the state.
Prashant, who is commonly referred by his initials ‘PK’, garnered 64,151 votes and beat BJP's Neeraj Kumar who polled 44,827 votes, as per the final tally on the Election Commission’s website.
Referring to the BJP’s long hold over the seat, Kishor said, “The 30-year stronghold fell in 30 days,” and stressed that Bihar needs good leadership focused on education and employment.
“The people have given this message,” Kishor said, while thanking those who voted for him and added that he would try to win over those who did not support him.
‘Voters have sent a message to BJP’s central leadership’
Kishor said the voters had sent a message to the BJP’s central leadership to “make a good person a CM in Bihar”.
“The people of Bankipur have won, and as we discussed during the election campaign, this is not an election to make an MLA," Kishor said. “This is an effort by the people of Bihar to convey this message to the central leadership of the BJP that make a good person a CM in Bihar.”
He said Bihar needs a leadership focused on improving education and employment and tackling corruption and migration, arguing that children from the state should not have to leave their families and homes in search of low-paid work elsewhere.
Kishor targeted the BJP and the NDA rather than framing the contest as a personal battle with any one leader.
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“Our fight is not with any individual. It is with the BJP and NDA,” he said and then referred to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, saying his criticism was linked to the question of who should lead the state.
“If you make a criminal the Chief Minister of Bihar, then Bihar cannot progress,” he said, adding that his appeal was for BJP leaders to choose “a good, capable person” as chief minister.
“Instead of Samrat Chaudhary, make some Khuswaha. There is no problem. Make Khuswaha. But make a good man from the Khuswaha community,” he said.
‘More than one crore children from Bihar working as labourers outside’
Kishor claimed that more than one crore children from the state were working as labourers outside Bihar and urged the central and state governments to create a special programme to address the issue.
“No child should have to leave their home, family, and society and go to Gujarat, Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, or Karnataka for Rs 10,000-15,000,” he said.
Kishor also contrasted development in Gujarat with the situation in Bihar, saying the state deserved better opportunities and infrastructure. “The people of Bihar are not born just to work.”
He said the BJP had received a five-year mandate and should use it to put capable people in positions of responsibility.
Kishor also struck a cautious note about what voters could expect from his victory.
“Bankipur will not become Bangalore if I become an MLA," he said, while promising that people would see “some improvement in the next 2-3 months."
PK’s win a political setback to BJP chief Nitin Nabin
Kishor had started campaigning in Bankipur nearly two months before the BJP and the RJD launched their full-fledged campaigns. He held public meetings, conducted door-to-door outreach, and strengthened booth-level organisation across the constituency. The early start gave Jan Suraaj a head start in building its electoral machinery.
Several senior BJP leaders campaigned extensively in the constituency in the final phase of the election.
The result could also be a significant political setback for BJP national president Nitin Nabin, whose political career has been closely associated with Bankipur. Nabin represented the constituency in the Bihar Assembly for five consecutive terms before being elevated to the party's national leadership and later entering the Rajya Sabha.
