After his Bankipur bypoll victory, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor said the verdict was a message to the BJP and NDA to change Bihar's leadership, as voters had rejected CM Samrat Choudhary's 'conduct, character and face'.
‘Message to Change Bihar Leadership’
Jan Suraaj founder and newly elected MLA Prashant Kishor on Tuesday said the Bankipur Assembly bypoll verdict was a message from the people of Bihar to the BJP and the NDA leadership to change the state's leadership, alleging that voters had rejected Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary over his "conduct, character and face."
Speaking to ANI after the Bankipur bypoll result, Kishor said the outcome reflected public dissatisfaction with the BJP's leadership in Bihar rather than a demand for a change in government. "The victory in Bankipur is seen as an attempt by the people of Bihar to send a message to the leadership of the BJP and the NDA: appoint a better person as the Chief Minister of Bihar and focus on the promises you made when coming to power. The language being used--crime, half-encounters, and shooting people based on their caste gamchha--must be stopped. Instead, conversations in Bihar should be about education, employment, and migration," he said.
Questioning the BJP's defeat in a seat it had won by over 51,000 votes in the Assembly elections last November, Kishor said the local issues remained unchanged and attributed the reversal to public disapproval of the current leadership. "When the people here made the BJP win by over 51,000 votes in November, the roads of Bankipur didn't break down, nor did anything wrong happen there. Despite this, if the people have defeated them here, what has changed? What has changed is that the BJP has given a new leadership in Bihar that is unacceptable to the people of Bihar. It is unacceptable because people are not comfortable with that individual's conduct, character, and face," he said.
‘People Rejected Jungle Raj Politics’
Taking a swipe at the Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Kishor further alleged that the BJP had installed a leader who represented the very "Jungle Raj" politics it had campaigned against. "The very Jungle Raj you sought votes against--if you seat an individual representing that same Jungle Raj on the chair draped in a saffron shawl, the people will not accept it. That is why people voted against the BJP," he said.
‘No Change in Government, Only in Leadership’
Rejecting speculation about any immediate change in government, Kishor said the NDA continued to enjoy a clear majority in the Bihar Assembly but argued that a change in leadership was necessary. "Where is a new government forming? There is a majority of 202; where is any talk of forming a new government? The NDA has a majority and will remain for the next four years. Only one change can happen: a change in the leadership of that government," he said.
On Tejashwi Yadav's Future
Kishor also responded to a question on RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying the Leader of the Opposition's political future would depend on how effectively he performs his role over the coming years. "He is the Leader of the Opposition; he is in the opposition. His role has been decided by the people of the opposition. Will he weaken or become stronger? It depends on how actively he works as the opposition in the next four years," he said.
Appeal to BJP Central Leadership
Kishor said the Bankipur bypoll result should serve as a message to the BJP's central leadership. "We are fighting a battle for that leadership change, together with the people of Bankipur, trying to send this message: Modi ji, Amit Shah ji, please pay attention to Bihar as well. Appoint a capable, virtuous, and educated person as the Chief Minister of Bihar so that discussions in Bihar can finally focus on education, employment, and migration," he said.
Kishor's Maiden Victory in BJP Bastion
Coming on the heels of intense youth-led protests over exam paper leaks and rising unemployment, the loss signals a shifting political wind across the Hindi heartland, exposing vulnerable fault lines in the BJP's traditional strongholds. In Bihar's urban bastion of Bankipur--a saffron stronghold since 1995 vacated by BJP National President Nitin Nabin--Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor secured his maiden electoral victory by a resounding 19,324 votes. (ANI)
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