Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, after winning the Bankipur bypoll, said the verdict was aimed at sending a larger political message to the BJP’s central leadership rather than merely electing an MLA.Calling the result “a victory of the people of Bankipur”, Kishor said, “In a democracy, victory and defeat are part of the process”, and added that he would work equally for those who voted for him and those who did not.Reiterating the central theme of his campaign, Kishor said the bypoll was “not an election to make an MLA” but an attempt by the people of Bihar to send a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.“The people of Bihar have already given the NDA 202 MLAs and a full majority. Now they expect the BJP leadership to think about Bihar’s children, education, employment and migration, and appoint a capable, honest and clean Chief Minister instead of someone with a tainted image,” he said.With the completion of all rounds of EVM counting, Kishor won the Bankipur assembly by-election with 64,151 votes.He defeated BJP’s Neeraj Kumar Sinha, who finished with 44,827 votes, while RJD’s Rekha Kumari Gupta ended a distant third with 14,273 votes.Also Read | Battle for Bankipur: PK eyes upset on new BJP chief’s turfThe final numbers give Kishor a winning margin of 19,324 votes, breaking the BJP’s three-decade hold on this urban seat.Story continues below this adKishor argued that the BJP, which enjoys a comfortable majority in the Assembly, bears the responsibility of choosing leadership capable of improving governance, reducing corruption and creating jobs. He stressed that his opposition was not directed at any individual but at the idea of entrusting Bihar’s leadership to “a person with a criminal background or questionable character”.“Our fight is not against any individual. The NDA has the majority and the Chief Minister will naturally be from the BJP. We are only urging the BJP leadership to choose a capable, honest and clean person. Even if the party wants to appoint a leader from the Kushwaha community, it should choose a good and credible person from that community,” he said, asserting that Bihar’s progress mattered more than the identity of the individual holding the post.He said the verdict reflected growing public aspirations that politics in Bihar should move beyond caste, religion and welfare schemes alone, and instead focus on education, industrialisation, healthcare and employment.Also Read | From Bankipur bypoll, a challenging path forward for Prashant Kishor, and lessons for BJP and RJDReferring to the BJP’s electoral success in previous assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Kishor said the state’s people had “stood firmly behind” Prime Minister Modi and therefore deserved equal attention from the Centre.Story continues below this ad“Bihar’s children should not have to leave their homes and work in other states for Rs 10,000 or Rs 15,000 a month,” he said, adding that the central government should plan something for Bihar so that migration should not become a compulsion for the people.Drawing a comparison with Gujarat, Kishor said that while the western state had benefited from sustained attention because of its political importance to the BJP, Bihar too deserved similar focus.“If Gujarat’s development is a priority because it has contributed to the BJP’s parliamentary strength, Bihar also deserves equal attention. More than 13 crore people of Bihar have supported Prime Minister Modi. The Centre should prepare a special development programme for Bihar so that factories come up here, education and healthcare improve, and migration stops,” he said.Expressing hope that the BJP’s central leadership would take the verdict seriously, Kishor said he expected “concrete steps” for Bihar’s development before the next Lok Sabha election.Story continues below this adAlso Read | In Prashant Kishor’s first election, real battle played out behind the scenes“I am confident the BJP’s central leadership will understand the message sent by the people of Bankipur and, before the next Lok Sabha election, Modi ji and Amit Shah ji will take concrete steps to improve governance, create jobs, strengthen education and healthcare, attract industries and address migration in Bihar,” he said.On his immediate priorities as the newly elected MLA, Kishor said he would focus on visible improvements in Bankipur over the next two to three months while cautioning against unrealistic expectations.“My becoming an MLA will not turn Bankipur into Bengaluru. But people will certainly see improvements in the next two or three months wherever it is possible for us to make a difference,” he said.He reiterated that Jan Suraaj had entered the contest not to secure power or patronage but to push for a broader improvement in Bihar’s governance and development.Story continues below this ad“We have not come here to become an MLA for contracts or political benefits. Our only objective is to ensure Bihar’s improvement, that it gets better leadership, better governance and a better future for its children,” he said.Kishor maintained that the bypoll was never about local civic issues alone but about Bihar’s political future. “The people of Bankipur have simply urged the BJP leadership to appoint an honest, capable and credible Chief Minister,” he said.He added that the “30-year fortress has collapsed in just 30 days” because people no longer wanted votes to be sought solely in the name of caste, religion or free ration, but on education, healthcare, jobs and development.“If governments fail to address education, employment and migration, they should expect similar electoral verdicts in the future,” Kishor warned.