Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor is now leading by more than 9500 votes as votes are counted following the Bankipur bypolls. Elections were held for vacant seats in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar on July 30 — with the former political analyst making his poll debut from Bihar.

The Bankipur Assembly seat in Bihar has been vacant since sitting MLA Nitin Nabin resigned on March 30 to join the Rajya Sabha. The EC held a bypoll for the Manjalpur Assembly constituency in Gujarat to fill the remainder of the term following the death of Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel on June 2. Elections were also necessitated for the  Datia seat in Madhya Pradesh due to the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti on April 2. 

The results will not have any direct impact on the existing state governments.

Prashant Kishor awaits verdict after poll debut

All eyes are presently on the Jan Suraaj founder after he contested his first-ever election from Bankipur constituency in Bihar. The high-stakes contest saw a moderate voter turnout of 34.16% as Kishor and the BJP traded charges on polling day. The ruling party had fielded Neeraj Kumar Sinha against the former political analyst.

Kishor has projected the July 30 bypoll as a “referendum” on the NDA government in Bihar — insisting that his imminent victory would also force Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary to step down. 

“This is not just my naamankan (nomination) but a call for a political change in Bihar where people with criminal records must give up their chair,” PTI quoted him as saying soon after filing the papers.

Significance of Bankipur bypoll

Elections became necessary for Bankipur after BJP MLA Nitin Nabin was elevated to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year — barely six months after winning it for a fifth consecutive term. Party leaders insist that the Jan Suraaj will finish as a “distant third in the election because people will not vote for an outsider billionaire”.

A victory for Kishor will be a significant upset in the BJP bastion — especially after the Jan Suraaj suffered a major defeat during the Bihar Assembly elections. The party had failed to win any of the 243 seats it contested during its first electoral outing. It will also formalise the transition of Prashant Kishor from backroom strategist to a viable political leader represented in the Bihar Assembly.

BJP vs Jan Suraaj

Kishor also lashed out at the district administration — lodging a formal complaint and levelling allegations of foul play. The Jan Suraaj Party filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against Patna police for “illegally detaining” its leaders and supporters. Kishor alleged that this was done at the behest of the BJP — with 54 people, including a significant number of locals, detained by the police in two days leading up to the commencement of voting on Thursday.

“We have lodged a formal complaint, supported by written evidence, against the Patna SSP regarding the police’s conduct over the past three days during the election — specifically their actions, the intimidation of voters, the detention of political leaders, and the way the police acted to favour a particular party,” he told news agency ANI.

He added that the local Electoral Officer has acknowledged the grievance and promised a formal inquiry, assuring action based on the findings.