Patna, August 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Monday registered the first electoral victory of his political career by winning the Bankipur Assembly by-election, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by a margin of 18,963 votes and ending the party’s long-standing dominance over the constituency.
According to the Election Commission, after the completion of all 31 rounds of counting, Kishor secured 63,203 votes, while BJP’s Neeraj Kumar Sinha received 44,250 votes. RJD candidate Rekha Kumari Gupta finished third with 14,085 votes.
The result marks a significant milestone for Kishor and Jan Suraaj, which has emerged as a new political force in Bihar. The victory is also being viewed as a major shift in the electoral dynamics of the Patna constituency, where Bankipur had traditionally been considered a BJP stronghold.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated Kishor on his victory and said the people of Bankipur had chosen Jan Suraaj in the “great festival of democracy”. In a post on X, Choudhary extended his greetings to Kishor while respecting the people’s mandate.
Kishor maintained a lead from the early rounds of counting and continued to increase the gap over his rivals as the process progressed. The contest, initially seen as a closely watched triangular battle between Jan Suraaj, BJP and RJD, eventually turned into a comfortable victory for Kishor, with the main fight shifting towards the second position.
The BJP retained the second spot but suffered a setback in a constituency where it had enjoyed a strong electoral advantage. In the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, BJP leader Nitin Nabin had defeated RJD candidate Rekha Gupta by around 51,000 votes in Bankipur.
The bypoll outcome is expected to lead to political assessment within both the BJP and RJD, with analysts likely to examine booth-level voting patterns to understand the shift in voter preferences.
Kishor’s victory has fuelled speculation that Jan Suraaj succeeded in attracting support from sections of voters who had earlier backed both the BJP and RJD. A detailed analysis of the results is expected to provide further insight into the factors behind the change in voting behaviour.
For Prashant Kishor and Jan Suraaj, the Bankipur win provides a major political boost and strengthens the party’s position ahead of future electoral battles in Bihar.
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