Master Strategist to Political Survivor
Bihar produces miracles every now and then. The people of the economically backward state do innovative experiments in politics. It could be JP movement that preceded the Emergency or a Laloo Prasad Yadav, a rustic charismatic politician or a Nitish Kumar, a long-distance runner who changed the partners to remain in power almost for two decades or now a Prashant Kishor, a celebrated election strategist – turned – politician who had launched Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), lost the general elections miserably just eight months ago only to score a remarkable win in a BJP bastion in a by-election. Prashant Kishor, popularly called PK, has been a hero, then became a zero to become a hero again.
Jan Suraaj Claims Victory in BJP’s Longest-Held Patna Seat
PK has created history of sort in Bihar by winning the BJP stronghold, Bankipur constituency in the heart of Patna in a by-poll trouncing the BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Singh by a margin of 19,324 votes. The win is significant in more than one way. Kishor had campaigned with all the energy at his command in the recently held Assembly election, in which he did not contest, where his JSP has got 4.5 percent of votes polled and could not win a single seat. That kind of a leader was polled more than 50 percent of the votes in the by-election in a constituency which has been known as a BJP forte for more than three decades. Even when RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav had swept the polls, Bankipur stayed with the BJP. Moreover, the BJP national president Nitin Nabin won the seat for four times, including the last elections with a big margin. His father Nitish Kishore Prasad Sharma won the seat from 1995 to 2006, until his death. From then, his son Nitin Nabin has won continuously from his family burrow. Generally, the incumbent governments win by-elections. It is the other way round in Bihar. The by-election was necessitated as Nabin was made the national president of the BJP, got elected to the Rajya Sabha and vacated the Assembly seat.
PK Takes Aim at BJP Leadership After Bankipur Win
PK has campaigned with a lot of gusto. His main criticism was about the paper leaks, lack of development, migration and the selection of the present chief minister Samrat Chowdhary who has a number of allegations against him. What hurts the BJP was the fact that voters from all sections of the society, notwithstanding the caste barriers, have voted for JSP candidate. Even the upper caste people voted against the BJP this time. This is a cause of worry for the BJP. Thanking the people of Bankipura who voted for him and also who did not vote, PK said, “This election was not merely about electing one MLA; it was about sending a clear message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. When the people of Bihar have entrusted you with a majority of 202 MLAs (now 201), out of the total 243 seats, you ought to appoint a Chief Minister with an unblemished image.”
BJP’s Bypoll Missteps Highlight Core Base Dissatisfaction
PK expressed the hope that the BJP’s central leadership would take concrete steps for Bihar’s development before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. “I am confident the BJP’s central leadership will understand the message sent by the people and Modi ji and Amit Shah ji will take concrete steps to improve governance, create jobs, strengthen education and healthcare, attract industries and address migration in Bihar.” These are the core issues on which KP has led his campaign.
The BJP’s loss in the by-elections in the Bankipur and Datia Assembly seats in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh (Although Datia was held by the Congress which retained it), respectively, reflects two fault lines that should worry the party. One, that the BJP’s core support base may be showing cracks, and that its attempts at a generational shift are meeting with strong internal resistance.
Breaking Down the Bypoll Failures in Bihar and MP
Anant Singh, senior leader of the( JD-U), the BJP’s ally in power in both Bihar and the Centre, said the Bankipur result was a strong message to the BJP as well as the NDA. “We have lost this election just eight months after scoring a landslide victory in Bihar, and four months after (JD-U supremo) Nitish Kumar was replaced by the BJP’s Samrat Chowdhary,” he commented. He also added that “it was the first election the NDA faced in Bihar after the BJP took the upper hand in the State.”
In Datia, Madya Pradesh, the BJP’s strong leader Narotham Mishra, around whom the politics of the region has revolved for the last two decades, was replaced. Mishra who lost in 2023 polls was expecting the ticket in by-poll and was seen as responsible for the defeat of the young Ashutosh Tiwari who was picked up as Datia’s BJP candidate.
PK Challenges Chief Minister’s Credibility After Bypoll Win
The JSP founder focused more on mohalla meetings and public interaction through large stretches. He succeeded in breaking the BJP’s “social combination.” He appears to have taken advantage of some dissensions within the local unit of the BJP. There was no effect of Gen Z movement on vote…In Bihar’s Bankipur, it was not seen that youth came out in large numbers to vote. Those who voted were traditional supporters of BJP and RJD. These people were not happy with the working style of these parties,” PK said in an interview with Aaj Tak. On being asked about his problem with Samrat Choudhary, PK said, “I don’t have any personal enmity with Samrat Choudhary. He calls me brother on camera. yesterday he congratulated me. The issue is not about Samrat Choudhary but who will lead the state. Will it be done by a person who provided wrong information about his educational qualifications?”
Resilience in the Realm of Realpolitik
Bihar has been always churning. It is India’s political laboratory. Voters believe that the established parties have stopped listening to them. They are prepared to back new interests. It is a challenge to Laloo Prasad Yadav and Tejaswini. PK will be trying to occupy the RJD space. One cannot take the Muslim voters for granted. They are also taking chances. They did not vote for the RJD this time. This is a lesson not only for the RJD but also for the entire opposition. No caste or religious group will remain permanently with any party. Coming back to PK, will he remain a one seat wonder or will he build the party statewide to become a chief minister material. PK has proved that he has the resilience and hardworking nature. One has to wait and watch the developments in Bihar.
Prominent Journalist
Dr. K. Ramachandra Murthy is a versatile journalist with a distinguished career. Dr. Murthy began his extensive career with Andhra Prabha of The Indian Express group in Bengaluru. He was editor of Udayam, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothy. Dr. Murthy founded and edited HMTV news channel and The Hans India, an English newspaper. He was also editorial director of the Telugu newspaper, Saakshi. He was awarded Ph. D for his research work in rural reporting. Dr. Murthy’s five decades in journalism showcases his influential roles across both print and electronic media. He wrote the political biography of NTR published by Harper Collins.
