Prashant Kishor wins Bankipur bypoll, sparking debate over Bihar's third political force

Prashant Kishor's suggests Bihar may accommodate a third political force.

PATNA: Bihar has been green. It has been saffron. Now Prashant Kishor brings yellow. Kishor, architect of poll victories for others, has finally written one for himself, winning his electoral debut in the Bankipur bypoll. It is a signal flare and perhaps a glimpse of a shifting political palette as Jan Suraaj broke through BJP’s saffron and RJD’s green duopoly.

Born in Rohtas in 1977, Kishor studied in Buxar, completed his Class XII from Patna Science College, earned a BBA from Lucknow University and a master’s in healthcare management from ASCI, Hyderabad. He did a French language course in France before spending eight years in a UN-supported public health programme. National prominence came after helping design PM Modi’s successful 2014 LS campaign. His organisation, I-PAC, went on to work with multiple political parties. He advised former Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, former Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and parties across Punjab, Andhra and Tamil Nadu, earning a reputation as one of the country’s most successful political consultants.

After helping the Nitish-led Mahagathbandhan win in 2015, Kishor briefly joined JDU before returning to grassroots politics. A self-professed believer in Gandhi’s philosophy, he spent nearly two years on a padayatra across Bihar before launching Jan Suraaj Party on Oct 2, 2024. Its candidates drew a blank in the 2025 state polls, raising questions over whether his campaign skills could translate into votes. Barely eight months later, the answer arrived in Bankipur.

Defeat would have dealt a crushing blow to both Kishor and Jan Suraaj. Instead, victory fuelled debate over whether Bihar has room for a third political force. “I did not contest to become an MLA or turn Bankipur into a metropolitan city like Bengaluru,” he said. “I wanted to send a message to BJP brass — generate employment, provide education and stop migration, or be prepared for similar results.”

Married to Dr Jahnavi Das and father to a son, Kishor lives like a monk on campaign. He rarely watches TV news, hasn’t used a laptop in a decade, and relies only on his phone to stay connected with his grassroots network.