NEW DELHI: Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Monday said the nationwide Gen Z protests may have contributed to his victory in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, where he ended the BJP‘s three-decade dominance. Fresh from his electoral debut victory, Kishor ruled out joining any political alliance and said his party would continue to chart an independent course in Bihar politics.Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by more than 19,000 votes in Bankipur, a constituency the BJP had held since 1995. The bypoll followed the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin after his election to the Rajya Sabha.Speaking to reporters after the result, Kishor said the atmosphere created by the recent Gen Z protests may have influenced the outcome.“The atmosphere created by Gen Z protests” might have played a role in the result, Kishor said, adding, “But there is nothing to show that young electors had voted in large numbers in Bankipur. It is unfortunate, but that is the reality,” referring to the voter turnout of less than 35 per cent.Rejecting speculation about joining any political alliance, Kishor said, “We shall have no alliance. Our alliance shall be with the people of Bihar. You should see that the people of Bankipur have voted for us, giving up on established parties.”He said the victory was possible because he received support beyond Jan Suraaj’s core supporters.“I would like to thank my active supporters as well as those who backed me in the by-election, despite not being with Jan Suraaj. I received support from people in BJP, Congress and RJD, who were unhappy with the state of affairs in their party,” he said.Kishor also described the verdict as a rejection of the Bihar government, saying it was “essentially against” chief minister Samrat Choudhary.The former political strategist said, “The mandate is essentially against chief minister Samrat Choudhary, against whom I have nothing personal, but who is detested by educated people of Bihar because of criminal antecedents and lack of qualifications.”Calling the result a warning for the BJP leadership, Kishor said the verdict should serve as a wake-up call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He argued that if Choudhary had been chosen because of caste considerations, he should be replaced with someone from the same community who had a “cleaner background”.The bypoll had become a prestige contest for the BJP after Nitin Nabin vacated the seat. In the 2025 Assembly election, Nabin had retained Bankipur by a margin of more than 50,000 votes.A senior BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that Kishor had capitalised on growing discontent among sections of the party’s traditional support base.“Prashant Kishor struck all the right notes. He tapped into the growing dissatisfaction among the upper castes by raising issues like the death after suspected rape of a NEET aspirant and the police encounter of Bharat Tiwari,” the leader said.The BJP leader added, “The Gen Z protests highlighted our weakening support among the youth, especially the upper castes, who have been our core base. They had been unhappy over the controversial UGC regulations and, now, they have begun to feel that we are taking them for granted.”Leaders of INDIA bloc parties also linked the result to the recent student-led protests.CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said, “It is an emphatic victory against the BJP. In the backdrop of Jantar Mantar protests, it does indicate a welcome shift in public mood.”Congress spokesperson Suman Kumar Mallick said, “The people of Bankipur have given a clear message against the arrogance of power and an autocracy. If Parliamentary elections are held today, Modi government will definitely be voted out.”
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RJD spokesperson Chitaranjan Gagan said, “More important than who won is the fact that the BJP lost. We are not dejected and will work with renewed vigour to ensure the overthrow of the NDA from Bihar as well as the Centre.”Veteran socialist leader Shivanand Tiwary also linked the verdict to the wider student movement.“What we saw recently, at Jantar Mantar, across Bihar and in other parts of the country, was far more spectacular than what took place in 1974. Students’ activists of today are showing a far superior acumen than what was on display in our times,” he said.
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