Prashant Kishor dismantles BJP's 30-year stronghold in 30 days
Prashant Kishor, leader of Jan Suraj, delivers a major blow to BJP in the Bankipur assembly by-election in Bihar.
BJP's invincible fortress in Bankipur, Bihar, standing strong for 30 years, was dismantled in just 30 days by Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj. The results of the by-elections held in three assembly seats across three states have now been declared. BJP faced defeat in Bankipur, Bihar, and Datia, Madhya Pradesh. However, the biggest setback came from the Bankipur Assembly seat. This is the same seat where BJP's newly appointed national president Nitin Navin held sway for 30 years. He is the same Nitin Navin whom PM Modi referred to as 'boss'.
Prashant Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by 18,953 votes. He received 63,203 votes, while Neeraj Kumar Sinha secured 44,250 votes. Meanwhile, RJD's Rekha Gupta finished third with 14,085 votes.
Since the formation of the seat in 2006, BJP had won every election. The party had never received less than 59 percent of the votes on this seat, but now its invincible record has been broken. This result comes at a time when just nine months ago, in the Bihar Assembly elections, the NDA had achieved a resounding victory by winning 202 out of 243 seats. Interestingly, in those same assembly elections, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party could not win a single seat. Meanwhile, in the Bankipur by-election, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) finished third.
Prashant Kishor described the Bankipur by-election as a message of a major political battle in Bihar and also questioned the leadership of the BJP. With the victory, Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor stated that it was not just an election to choose an MLA, but a decision by the people on what kind of leadership Bihar needs.
Prashant Kishor said,
"The voters have sent a clear message to the central leadership of the BJP that 'the people of Bankipur have won.' As we said during the election campaign, this is not just an election to make an MLA. It is an attempt by the people of Bihar to send a message to the central leadership of the BJP to make a good person the Chief Minister."
He said that Bihar needs leadership that works on issues like education, employment, corruption, and migration, so that the state's children do not have to go to other states away from their homes and families for low-paying jobs.
Kishor claimed that the gap between Jan Suraaj and BJP's three-decade-old political dominance in Bankipur has closed very quickly. He said,
"The gap of 30 years was filled in just 30 days." This result reflects the public's demand for better governance and opportunities for the future of children.
He said that this election should not be viewed only from the perspective of who won or lost as an MLA. "The victory or defeat of an MLA is a political matter, it keeps happening," he said. He also expressed gratitude to the voters who supported him and assured that he would try to win the trust of those who did not support him.
Prashant Kishor said that his fight is not against any individual, but against the politics of BJP and NDA. He also mentioned Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, saying that his criticism is related to the question of who should lead Bihar.
Kishor said,
"If you make a criminal the Chief Minister of Bihar, then Bihar cannot progress." He appealed to the BJP leadership to make "a good and capable person" the Chief Minister.
He said that it is not necessary for the Chief Minister to be from a particular community. "Instead of Samrat Choudhary, make a Kushwaha. There is no problem in that. Make a Kushwaha, but make a good person from the Kushwaha community the Chief Minister."" He claimed that more than one crore children from Bihar are working as laborers in other states and demanded that the central and state governments start special programs to solve this problem.
He said, "No child should be forced to leave their home, family, and society to earn just 10-15 thousand rupees in Gujarat, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, or Karnataka." Kishor compared the development of Gujarat with the situation in Bihar, stating that the people of Bihar should also receive better opportunities and basic facilities.
He said,
"If all the facilities are only available to the people of Gujarat, then where will the people of Bihar go? The people of Bihar are not born just to do labor."
He said that BJP has received a mandate for five years and should focus on the development of Bihar by entrusting responsibilities to capable people.
Prashant Kishor also advised restraint regarding people's expectations. He said, "Even if I become an MLA, Bankipur will not become Bengaluru." However, he expressed confidence that people would definitely see some positive changes in the next two to three months. He said that the importance of this election is not limited to just Bankipur.