BJP suffers setback as Prashant Kishor wins maiden poll in Bihar

Jan Suraaj founder ends BJP's 30-year dominance in Bankipur assembly bypoll

Prashant Kishor at the counting center of Bankipur assembly constituency.

Prashant Kishor at the counting center of Bankipur assembly constituency. (Photograph courtesy: Jan Suraaj party)

New Delhi: Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor wins his maiden Assembly election from Bihar's Bankipur constituency, ending the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) three-decade dominance in the seat.

Kishor, who made his poll debut in the Bankipur bypoll, defeated his nearest rival and the BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes.

The party had suffered a major setback in the 2025 Assembly polls, drawing a blank despite fielding candidates in 238 constituencies. The Bankipur seat became vacant following the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin from the seat after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April.

​​"The people of Bankipur have sent a clear message to the BJP leadership: 'Please appoint a good person as the Chief Minister of Bihar," Kishor said while addressing his workers.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained Gujarat's Manjalpur Assembly seat, with its candidate Satish Patel defeating senior Congress leader Bhikha Rabari by 30,499 votes in the July 30 bypoll, the spotlight remained firmly on Bihar. In April this year, Nitish Kumar resigned as chief minister, ending his two-decade tenure and paving the way for the BJP to form its first government in Bihar under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. Critics argue that Kumar was forced to resign as CM.

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