Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor’s made a stellar electoral debut by securing a massive victory in the Bankipur Assembly by-election. The victory provides a major political boost and establishes the party as a new electoral force in Bihar.
The Bankipur Assembly constituency was a BJP bastion which the party had never lost since 1995. According to the Election Commission, after the completion of all 31 rounds of counting, Prashant Kishor secured 63,203 votes, while BJP’s Neeraj Kumar polled 44,250 votes. RJD candidate Rekha Kumari Gupta finished a distant third with 14,085 votes.
The by-election was necessitated after BJP national President Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha. It is predominantly an urban constituency. Kayasthas, Brahmins, Bhumihars, Rajputs, Vaishyas and Kurmis have traditionally constituted important sections of the BJP’s support base in the constituency.
However, this time voters from diverse social groups rallied behind the Jan Suraaj candidate. His emphasis on education, employment, migration, governance and development resonated with sections of the urban electorate.
The result was particularly striking because it came just nine months after the NDA had won 202 of Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats.
BJP retains Manjalpur
In the Gujarat by-elections, the BJP retained the Manjalpur seat in Vadodara district, with its candidate, Satendrabhai Patel, defeating Congress nominee Bhikhabhai Rabari by over 30,000 votes.
The by-poll was necessitated following the death of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel.
Cong keeps Datia
The Congress kept the Datia seat in Madhya Pradesh, with the party candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeating his nearest rival Ashutosh Tiwari of the BJP by over 6,000 votes in the by-poll.
A message to BJP
The people of Bihar have sent a message to the BJP’s central leadership that they should appoint a good person as the chief minister of Bihar. They do not want a person with a criminal background or questionable conduct, character, or reputation to lead Bihar,” Prashant Kishor said.
