Archive · 3 Aug 2026
Prashant Kishor Wins Bankipur Bypoll, Upsets BJP Stronghold
Prashant Kishor is a famous political strategist who started his own party, Jan Suraaj.
In a special election in the Bankipur area of Bihar, he ran against the BJP’s candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha.
He won by a big margin, about 18,000 votes, which surprised many people because Bankipur had been a BJP stronghold for 30 years.
The election happened after the BJP’s top leader Nitin Nabin left the seat to become a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Voters in the election were fewer than in the last big election, with only about 34% of people voting.
Kishor’s campaign talked about jobs, education and not just caste or religion, which helped him win support from many groups.
After the results, his supporters celebrated in the streets, dancing and spraying colored powder.
The win shows that voters in Bihar may want new leaders and ideas.
Prashant Kishor, founder of Jan Suraaj Party, won the Bankipur assembly bypoll in Bihar, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by about 18,000 votes.
The bypoll was triggered after BJP national president Nitin Nabin vacated the seat to join the Rajya Sabha, ending a 30‑year BJP hold on the constituency.
Voter turnout fell to 34.3%, roughly 130,000 voters, lower than the 41.45% seen in the 2025 assembly elections.
Kishor’s campaign focused on education, jobs and civil issues, appealing to voters beyond caste and religion, and drew support from segments of the RJD’s Muslim‑Yadav base.
Celebrations erupted at Jan Suraaj headquarters and in Patna streets, with supporters dancing, spraying gulal and chanting slogans of a “new dawn” for Bihar politics.
- Who
- Prashant Kishor, Jan Suraaj Party founder, and Neeraj Kumar Sinha, BJP candidate
- What
- Kishor won the Bankipur assembly bypoll in Bihar, defeating the BJP candidate
- When
- July 30, 2025 (counting on August 3, 2025)
- Where
- Bankipur assembly constituency in Patna, Bihar, India
- Why
- Kishor’s focus on education, jobs and civil issues, and voters’ desire for change beyond caste and religion, combined with the seat’s vacancy after BJP president Nitin Nabin joined the Rajya Sabha
- Candidate
- Prashant Kishor
- Party
- Jan Suraaj Party
- Opponent
- Neeraj Kumar Sinha
- Opponent Party
- Bharatiya Janata Party
- Vote Count (Kishor)
- 61,075
- Vote Count (Sinha)
- 42,111
- Margin
- 18,964
- Turnout
- 34.30%
- Date
- July 30, 2025
- Constituency
- Bankipur (Patna West)
