-1785835054753_v.webp)
- Prashant Kishor won Bankipur bypoll, defeating BJP candidate.
- Victory signals potential rise of a third front in Bihar.
- Jan Suraaj to focus on Bihar's development and local polls.
Bihar Politics: Prashant Kishor registered a massive victory in the Bankipur bypoll by defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Sinha by over 18,000 votes. The victory is largely seen as a revival of Jan Suraaj, which could not manage to even open its account in the 2025 Bihar legislative election. Kishor's victory in the BJP stronghold could lead to the rise of a third front in Bihar, a state that has largely been dominated by the two alliances in the past several decades.
Bihar: Space For A Third Front?
The Tejashwi Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) remained in the third position with its candidate Rekha Kumari getting less than 15,000 votes. Earlier in the assembly polls, the major opposition party could only get 25 seats, its second lowest tally after the 2010 elections. While the RJD still remains the single largest party in the context of vote share, the party has struggled recently due to multiple factors, including a dispute in the Lalu Yadav family and an alleged inconsistent effort from Tejashwi Yadav.
What Are Possibilities?
Earlier this year, Kishor met Janashakti Janata Dal (JJD) founder and Lalu Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, leading to speculation. Tej Pratap extended his party's support to Kishor after the nomination of his party's candidate, Veena Manvi, got cancelled. Apart from this, the Congress was also left divided over support for its traditional ally RJD and Kishor.
Recommended For You
ALSO READ: How Bypoll Results In Bankipur-Datia Could Change Game Plan Of Congress-Led Oppn? Inside Story
Regional Parties In Picture
The Jan Suraaj founder can also approach the regional forces, including the Pashupati Paras-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Mukesh Sahani's party Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). While there has been no official declaration on any of these equations, the victory of Kishor has paved the way for a possible third front in Bihar after decades.
What PK Said?
Apart from this, Kishor has clarified that rather than focusing on opposition's unity in the state, his priority is to develop Bihar. "My focus is on Bihar, not on Opposition unity. We are working in Bihar and there is no need to work on Opposition unity here. My focus is on the development of Bihar," Kishor was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Jan Suraaj, following its victory in Bankipur bypoll, is likely to focus on the coming local body polls, scheduled to be conducted later this year.