‘If necessary, I will contest elections myself’, announces Prashant Kishore, founder of Jan Suraj

There is increased excitement in the politics of Bihar these days. Founder and architect of Jan Suraj Party, Prashant Kishore has clearly indicated that he himself can contest in the by-election to be held on Bankipur assembly seat of Patna. This announcement of Prashant Kishore is being considered as a direct challenge to the strongest stronghold of BJP. If he contests the elections himself then the contest can be very interesting. Prashant Kishore said this in an interview.

In the interview, Prashant Kishore said, ‘Whatever has to be done to defeat BJP in Bankipur, will be done. If the workers want and need, I will contest the elections myself. Jan Suraj’s aim is to break this 40-45 year old fort.

Bankipur assembly seat is considered to be one of the most popular seats of Patna city. This is the impregnable fort of BJP, which no one has been able to penetrate for the last 30 years. Since 1995, lotus has been blooming continuously here.

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Why is Bankipur seat important?

The story of this seat is also interesting. Earlier, Naveen Kishore Prasad Sinha was MLA from here for four consecutive terms. After his death in 2005, his son Nitin Naveen contested the 2006 by-election and won. From then till now, only Nitin Naveen has been becoming MLA from here.

The father-son duo together made this seat a permanent stronghold of BJP. Congress, RJD and Left parties also used their full strength here, formed alliances and fielded big faces, but the wall of Bankipur was not broken. Even in 2020, when there was a wave of grand alliance, Nitin Naveen won by more than 18 thousand votes. The entire matter will depend on the unity of the opposing parties.

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Why was the seat vacant?

The reason for Bankipur seat being vacant is also related to the national politics of BJP. BJP has recently made sitting MLA Nitin Naveen the national president. Following the party’s principle of ‘one person, one post’, Nitin Naveen resigned from the post of MLA. Bankipur seat became vacant as soon as his resignation was accepted. The Election Commission will soon announce the date of the by-election here. It is believed that voting may take place in November before Diwali.

The equation will change with the entry of Prashant Kishore

After the announcement of Prashant Kishor, the political temperature in Bankipur has increased. PK himself has been an election strategist. The strategy behind the election victories of Narendra Modi in 2014, Nitish Kumar in 2015 and Mamata Banerjee in 2021 has been discussed. Now he himself is talking about entering the electoral fray.

Jan Suraj Party has been conducting padyatra in Bihar for the last two years. PK is visiting every district and connecting youth and women. His focus is on ‘change in Bihar’. Now they are directly attacking the strongest stronghold of BJP.

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Prashant Kishore said, ‘Bankipur is not just a seat, but a symbol. If BJP loses here, the message will go throughout Bihar that now the people want change. What did the people get by making the same family and the same party victorious for 30 years? Look at the condition of roads, drains, education and employment.

BJP’s tension increased

After Nitin Naveen becoming the national president, the big question before BJP is who will be the candidate from Bankipur. It is not yet decided whether a face will emerge from the family itself or the party will make a new experiment. The competition has become more interesting with the possible entry of PK.

Jan Suraj is a new party, Prashant Kishore has his own face and political brand. If they themselves contest the elections then the contest could be directly PK vs BJP. RJD and Congress are also keeping an eye on this seat. If the grand alliance supports Prashant Kishor, then BJP’s problems may increase.

What do political experts say?

Senior journalists of Patna say, ‘Bankipur is the lab seat of BJP. Here urban voters, businessmen and Kayastha-Bania votes are the core vote bank of BJP. This pattern has not been broken since 1995 but if PK himself contests the elections, the contest may rise above the caste equation and become ‘face versus face’.

Jan Suraj’s slogan is ‘Right People, Right Thinking, Collective Effort’. Prashant Kishore is continuously connecting the youth. If he is successful in attracting 20 thousand new votes in his favor then the electoral equation of Bankipur can change.