Bankipur may not become Bengaluru overnight, but visible changes are on the way, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor said on Monday ahead of his big debut win in Bihar's Bankipur Assembly bypoll.
Kishor won with 64,151 votes, maintaining a lead of 19,324 votes over his nearest rival, BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, according to the latest trends released by the Election Commission. Track Bankipur bypoll election results here
Addressing supporters after the latest round of counting, Kishor said, “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.”
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Kishor said his immediate priority after winning would be to work on improving Bankipur instead of making lofty promises.
{{/usCountry}}Kishor said his immediate priority after winning would be to work on improving Bankipur instead of making lofty promises.
{{/usCountry}}"My first task will be to improve Bankipur with the blessings the people have given me. You will see changes in the next two to three months. I don't want to make grand boasts," he said.
He also used the occasion to renew his attack on Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhary, while insisting that his fight was not against any individual but about the state's leadership.
‘A criminal cannot be CM’
"The fight is not personal. The conduct, character and face of Samrat Choudhary is in the public domain. If you make a criminal the king, the chief minister, of Bihar, then Bihar cannot make progress," Kishor said.
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He acknowledged that the BJP-led NDA enjoys a majority in Bihar and said his appeal was for the alliance to appoint a capable leader as the next chief minister.
"Our fight is not with any individual. The majority belongs to the BJP and the NDA, so the chief minister will be theirs. We are simply requesting Modiji to make a capable person of good character the chief minister so that Bihar can progress and people can feel proud to be Bihari," he said.
Kishor said the Bankipur bypoll was about more than local civic issues.
"This election was not fought over Bankipur's lanes and drains. It was fought over who should lead Bihar. The people of Bankipur have sent a message to the BJP leadership: make a good person the chief minister," he said.
Bihar CM concendes
Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated Kishor on his victory, saying he respected the people's verdict.
"In the grand festival of democracy, the people have chosen Jan Suraaj in the Bankipur Assembly by-election. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Shri Prashant Kishor ji on his victory, while respecting the people's decision," Choudhary said in a post on X.
Prashant Kishor's big win
Kishor scripted a landmark victory in his electoral debut by winning the Bankipur Assembly bypoll on Monday. This gave his party its first-ever seat in the Bihar Assembly after drawing a blank in the 2025 state elections. The win came in the BJP stronghold of Bankipur, represented for decades by BJP national president Nitin Nabin.
Kishor described the bypoll as a referendum on the BJP-led Bihar government. He said the people, through this election, sent a message to the BJP leadership to appoint a capable chief minister focused on education, jobs and development. He said Jan Suraaj's aim was to transform Bihar, not merely win seats.
The bypoll was Kishor's first election after years as a political strategist. He campaigned on governance, education, employment and corruption, advertising Jan Suraaj as an alternative to both the NDA and the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan.
The bypoll was necessitated after Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha and appointment as BJP national president.