Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday ruled out the possibility of joining any political alliance, while claiming that his victory in the Bankipur assembly bypoll was made possible "with the backing of" disgruntled supporters of parties such as the BJP, Congress and the RJD.
Kishor was talking to reporters after defeating the BJP's Neeraj Kumar by over 19,000 votes in Bankipur which the BJP had been winning since 1995.
"We shall have no alliance. Our alliance shall be with the people of Bihar. You should see that the people of Bankipur have voted for us, giving up on established parties," said Kishor when he was asked about the possibility of a rethink on his earlier stance of going it alone in elections.
With his victory, the Jan Suraaj Party will have its maiden presence in the Bihar assembly.
"Besides thanking the common citizens, I would like to thank those who helped Jan Suraaj despite not being in the party. Such people were in all parties – BJP, RJD, as well as the Congress," said Kishor, whose win may help resurrect his fledgling outfit that had drawn a blank in last year's assembly election.
Notably, the by-poll, which Kishor has been terming as a "referendum" on the BJP-led government in Bihar, had followed the resignation of fifth-term MLA Nitin Nabin, who got elected to the Rajya Sabha after becoming the party's national president.
{{/usCountry}}Notably, the by-poll, which Kishor has been terming as a "referendum" on the BJP-led government in Bihar, had followed the resignation of fifth-term MLA Nitin Nabin, who got elected to the Rajya Sabha after becoming the party's national president.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, Kishor had also said that the BJP's loss was "a wake-up call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who must consider replacing Samrat Choudhary, a man with criminal antecedents, with a decent person as the chief minister".
Choudhary, who had joined the BJP less than a decade ago, is the first BJP leader to head a government in Bihar and, according to Kishor, if the party wanted to have an OBC as the chief minister, "let it have someone who has a good education and a clean record".
The IPAC founder's reluctance to join the opposition coalition notwithstanding, observers believe that he could be wooed by the INDIA bloc, which ought to build on the momentum generated by the Gen Z protests.
Veteran socialist leader Shivanand Tiwary told PTI: "Prashant Kishor's energy and organisational abilities have been there for all to see. The INDIA bloc must approach him. The victory in Bankipur must be viewed in a larger perspective".
Tiwary, who was one of the foremost participants in the "Bihar movement" launched by the late Jayaparakash Narayan, said, "What we saw recently, at Jantar Mantar, across Bihar and in other parts of the country, was far more spectacular than what took place in 1974. Students' activists of today are showing a far superior acumen than what was on display in our times".
The opposition parties should give up ideological misgivings and reach out to Kishor, he said, adding that the Congress, RJD and the Left must build on the momentum, said Tiwary, who had been associated with parties like RJD and JD(U).
A senior BJP leader who spoke on condition of anonymity said, "The debacle could not have come at a worse time. The Gen Z protests highlighted our weakening support among the youth, especially the upper castes, who have been our core base. They had been unhappy over the controversial UGC regulations and, now, they have begun to feel that we are taking them for granted".
The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, were notified earlier this year to eliminate caste-based discrimination and ensure equal opportunities across all Indian colleges and universities.
The new guidelines were opposed by the general category groups, claiming that they offered no protection against false cases lodged by students from SC, ST and OBC groups. The Supreme Court has granted an interim stay against the proposed rules.