How Prashant Kishor breached BJP's bastion
Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj party won the Bankipur assembly bypoll, ending BJP's three-decade hold on the seat.
BJP had won Bankipur since 1995, with Nitin Nabin retaining it for five consecutive elections and securing over 50% of votes in each.
Jan Suraaj had faced a crushing defeat in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, losing deposits in 236 of 238 contested seats.
Political observers attribute the shift to dissatisfaction among BJP's traditional support base, triggered by controversies over UGC guidelines, the Bharat Tiwari encounter, and paper leaks.
Prashant Kishor's focus on education reforms and youth issues resonates with Gen Z voters, who played a key role in the outcome.
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