‘Wake-up call for PM Modi’: Prashant Kishor after Jan Suraaj stuns BJP in Bankipur bypoll

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday described his party’s landmark victory in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll as a “wake-up call” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying Bihar needs a government focused on education, jobs and curbing migration rather than politics.

“This is a wake-up call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bihar needs a chief minister who can improve education, create jobs and stop migration,” Kishor said after defeating the BJP in its long-held Bankipur stronghold.

Rejecting speculation of any future political tie-up, Kishor said the Jan Suraaj Party would not enter into alliances.

“Our alliance shall be with the people of Bihar. The people of Bankipur have voted for us by giving up on established parties,” he said.

Kishor said he would focus on improving the constituency instead of making unrealistic promises, adding that visible changes would be seen within months.

He credited the victory to support from disillusioned BJP, Congress and RJD voters, while suggesting that anger over examination paper leaks and student-led “Gen Z protests” also contributed to the BJP’s defeat.

Some BJP leaders acknowledged that the paper leak issue had resonated strongly with voters in Bankipur, which has a large student population due to its concentration of coaching institutes. Party leaders also cited caste dynamics and an erosion of support among women voters as possible factors behind the setback.

The bypoll was widely seen as a prestige contest for the BJP and Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, marking his first electoral test since succeeding Nitish Kumar.

Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by 19,324 votes, ending the BJP’s uninterrupted hold over Bankipur since the constituency was created in 2010. The victory also marked the Jan Suraaj Party’s first-ever electoral win after it failed to secure any seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections despite contesting 238 constituencies.