These days, discussion around the Bankipur by-election is gaining momentum in Bihar politics, and the reason is Prashant Kishor. Bankipur is the urban assembly constituency of Patna that has remained under BJP’s control for more than 30 years. BJP’s national president Nitin Naveen had been the MLA from this seat continuously since 2006. After becoming the national president, he moved to the Rajya Sabha in April 2026. Therefore, he resigned from the Bankipur seat. A by-election must be held within six months of his resignation. More than two months of that six-month period have already passed. This means the by-election is certain to take place within the next 3–4 months.

There is ongoing speculation that Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor may contest the by-election from the Bankipur seat. This discussion is based on statements made by him and leaders of Jan Suraaj. It clearly indicates that deliberations are underway within Jan Suraaj regarding Prashant Kishor contesting the election. Until an official announcement is made, this discussion will continue. PK launched Jan Suraaj in 2022 as a campaign. On 2 October 2024, the campaign was transformed into a political party and contested the 2025 assembly election. Jan Suraaj received around 3.5% of the vote in the last assembly election but failed to win a single seat. Since the election, Jan Suraaj and Prashant Kishor’s politics have needed sufficient oxygen to revive themselves. Perhaps Bankipur could provide that oxygen to the party. Now let us discuss what circumstances may emerge if Prashant Kishor contests from here.

If Prashant Kishor himself contests from Bankipur, there will certainly be greater enthusiasm among Jan Suraaj leaders and workers, which could help them recover from the assembly election defeat. Party leaders and workers would put in their full effort to send PK to the assembly. If PK wins the election, Jan Suraaj will gain a strong political base to survive and remain active until the next election. If PK becomes an MLA, he could emerge as a vocal opposition voice—he has that capability. This would greatly help strengthen the party. PK is skilled at setting narratives; he could capitalize on this single victory to establish a strong position in Bihar politics, and the 2030 contest in Bihar could become triangular and more interesting.

However, if PK contests from Bankipur and loses, the opposition will try to dismiss him completely and declare his politics finished. But has no major leader ever lost an election? Almost every major leader in the country has lost elections at some point. Losing an election does not end anyone’s political career, nor does it make someone weak. Not contesting elections makes a leader weak. Nitish Kumar lost his first two assembly elections and entered the legislature only on his third attempt. From Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Ram Manohar Lohia, many leaders lost elections. Lalu Yadav lost from Patna’s Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat. Rabri Devi lost from her stronghold of Raghopur. At this moment, PK has nothing to lose. Even if he contests and loses, his leaders and workers will feel satisfied that their leader actually contests. Many workers were disappointed because he did not contest the assembly election, and several analysts believe that if PK had contested himself, at least his party’s vote share would have increased. Whether he would have won from Raghopur is uncertain, but if he had contested from another seat, reaching the assembly would not have been very difficult.

There is also discussion that he could become the opposition’s joint candidate. It is being speculated that the Mahagathbandhan may support Prashant Kishor to defeat Nitin Naveen’s seat and not field its own candidate. This possibility appears weak. Tejashwi would never want PK to win and enter the assembly because they know that this single step could establish PK as a political leader and threaten their position as the leader of the opposition. The Mahagathbandhan would prefer the Bihar contest to remain only between the NDA and themselves, without allowing a third force to emerge.

The decision on whether PK contests from Bankipur or not has to be taken by Prashant Kishor and Jan Suraaj themselves. But one thing is certain: if he contests, he will create difficulties for the BJP’s national president. Whether he wins or loses will be decided by the people of Bankipur. But regardless of the result, for PK and Jan Suraaj, the chances of gaining political advantage appear greater than suffering political loss.