Patna, August 3, 2026, Tamsil Shahezad Khan : In a stunning upset, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor defeated Bharatiya Janata Party's Neeraj Kumar by 18,953 votes in the Bankipur Assembly by-election, wresting a BJP bastion that had remained under the saffron party's control since 1995. Kishor, contesting for the first time, secured 63,203 votes, while BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar polled 44,250 votes.
RJD candidate Rekha Kumari stood third with 14,085 votes, trailing Kishor by a massive 49,118 votes and BJP's runner-up by 30,168 votes.
Counting for the bypoll, held on July 30 amid a turnout of 34.30 per cent (down 7.15 percentage points from the 2025 Assembly polls), concluded in 31 rounds. The result was declared around 5:30 PM IST, with celebrations erupting at the Jan Suraaj Party headquarters and outside the counting centre at A.N. College in Patna, where supporters danced to local songs and distributed sweets.
This victory marks Jan Suraaj Party's first-ever win in the Bihar Assembly, coming after the outfit failed to secure any seats in the November 2025 polls despite contesting 238 seats. It also represents a significant blow to the BJP, which had held Bankipur continuously for over three decades (as Patna West before). The seat fell vacant after BJP National President Nitin Nabin resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
The contest, widely seen as a prestige battle and a test for Kishor's debut, featured a triangular fight with 25 candidates in the fray. While the BJP fielded youth leader Neeraj Kumar, RJD renominated Rekha Kumari (who had lost to Nabin by over 50,000 votes in 2025).
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated Kishor, saying: "The people have chosen Jan Suraaj in the Bankipur Assembly by-election. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Shri Prashant Kishor ji on his victory, while respecting the people's decision."
Analysts attribute Kishor's win to a focused campaign on this single seat, his personal poll-strategy background, and shifting voter sentiments beyond traditional caste and religious lines. The result is expected to boost the Jan Suraaj Party's profile in Bihar politics while posing challenges for the BJP and RJD in the state.
Final Results Snapshot (Bankipur Assembly By-election 2026)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Margin
| Prashant Kishor | Jan Suraaj Party | 63,203
| Neeraj Kumar | BJP | 44,250 | 18,953
| Rekha Kumari | RJD | 14,085 | 49,118
| Others/Independent | Various
| NOTA| - | 645
Total votes polled: 1,29,921 (Turnout: 34.30%)
Kishor's win is being hailed as a major political milestone, signalling a potential shift in Bihar's electoral dynamics. The Jan Suraaj Party now looks to consolidate gains in upcoming polls.