Prashant Kishor Claims Bankipur Victory, Urges BJP To Pick 'Good' Bihar Chief Minister - VIDEO

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor described his party's performance in the Bankipur Assembly by-election as a "victory of the people" and said the result was a message to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership to appoint a "capable and upright" person as the next chief minister of Bihar.

With only a few rounds of counting left, Kishor was leading the contest after 26 rounds with 53,566 votes, comfortably ahead of BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar, who had secured 37,702 votes. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Rekha Kumari remained a distant third with 11,933 votes.

Addressing the media, Kishor said the election was about much more than choosing a local legislator.

"This is the victory of the people of Bankipur. The people of Bihar want quality education, employment opportunities and development. They do not want individuals with a criminal background or a questionable reputation to lead the state," he said.

The Jan Suraaj leader added that his immediate priority would be to fulfil the expectations of the people of Bankipur and bring visible changes to the constituency over the next few months.

Kishor also stepped up his attack on Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, arguing that Bihar's progress depended on the state being led by a person with an unblemished image. He maintained that his fight was not against any individual but for better governance and development.

The result is being viewed as a major setback for the BJP, which had dominated the constituency for nearly three decades. The seat was represented by BJP national president Nitin Nabin continuously since 2006, while the party had retained the constituency even earlier when it was known as the Patna West seat.

Reacting to the trends, Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the BJP respected the people's mandate and would review the outcome in detail. He also pointed out that the party had secured a decisive victory in the state only a few months earlier.