Prashant Kishor takes oath as Bankipur MLA after maiden win

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor took oath as the Bankipur MLA at the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Monday. Speaker Prem Kumar administered the oath. The 49-year-old election strategist-turned-politician called it a big responsibility and said he was proud to join a House where leaders such as Krishna Sinha, Karpoori Thakur, and Nitish Kumar have served.

Kishor won the Bankipur bypoll on August 3, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes. He secured 64,151 votes against Kumar's 44,827. The bypoll was needed after BJP president Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha. Bankipur, an urban Patna seat, had been a BJP stronghold since 1995.

The Times of India notes that Kishor said he did not seek a safe seat and wanted voters to move beyond caste and religion. His Jan Suraaj Party had failed to win a seat in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. Voter turnout in the bypoll was 34.24 per cent, according to the Election Commission.