Prashant Kishor set to break BJP’s 35-year stronghold

Jan Suraj Party founder Prashant Kishor is on course to win the Bankipur assembly by-election in Patna district of Bihar, India. He is leading by 17,000 votes after the last 27th round of counting. If the by-election results are finally declared a victory, it will end the BJP’s nearly 35-year monopoly in one of the most powerful assembly constituencies in Bihar.
This by-election is being seen as a very important political battle, as Bankipur has been a BJP stronghold for over three decades. Prashant Kishor’s victory will not only ensure Jan Suraj’s biggest electoral success so far, but will also completely change the political equation of the Bihar assembly elections. Moreover, this result could be a major setback for the BJP.
Because the party was forced to change their candidate before fielding Neeraj Kumar Sinha. Neeraj Kumar Sinha contested as a lesser-known face compared to Prashant Kishor, while Jan Suraj Pradhan was the main focus of the campaign throughout the election.
Prashant Kishor started his campaign in Bankipur about two months before the BJP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) started their campaigns in full swing. During this time, he held public meetings and door-to-door campaigns across the constituency and strengthened the booth-level organization. His move played a major role in strengthening Jan Suraj’s election strategy before the rival parties intensified their campaigns.
The BJP had taken it as a prestige fight to retain the Bankipur seat and fielded thousands of party leaders and workers, including about 40 stars. Several top BJP leaders also campaigned extensively in the constituency in the final stages of the election.
The result could also be a major political setback for BJP national president Nitin Naveen, whose political life is deeply intertwined with Bankipur. Nitin Naveen represented the constituency for five consecutive terms in the Bihar Assembly and was elevated to the party’s national leadership and later to the Rajya Sabha.
Although Nitin Naveen was not the BJP candidate in the by-election, he played a very active role in the campaign. In an effort to retain the seat, he held road shows and public meetings from Bankipur in the last days of the campaign and coordinated with party leaders and workers. The defeat will end the BJP’s long winning streak in a seat that has long been closely associated with Naveen’s political journey.
Meanwhile, Jan Suraj Pradhan Prashant Kishor’s wife Dr. Janhvi Das thanked the voters after declaring victory. “I thank the people of Bankipur from the bottom of my heart… they have worked hard for this victory…”, she said.

Source: India Today