New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) After the announcement of the electoral debut of Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor in the upcoming Bankipur Assembly constituency bypoll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday remarked that Kishor will secure “lesser votes than even the None of the Above (NOTA)” voting option.

Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor is set to contest by-elections from Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly seat, a stronghold of the BJP for decades, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) Chief Manoj Bharti said.

Earlier, BJP President Nitin Nabin won this seat by a significant margin in the Bihar Assembly elections.

Speaking to IANS regarding the political development, BJP National Spokesperson R.P. Singh said: “He (Kishor) is contesting only to lose his deposit. He will not even get as many votes as NOTA.”

Echoing similar view, BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said: “Whether Prashant Kishor contests or anyone else, it will make no difference. The BJP has been winning the Bankipur Assembly seat for the past 30 years.”

“Nitin Nabin has been MLA from Bankipur, who is the National President (of BJP) today. The people of Bankipur are extremely happy and they will vote for the BJP candidate this time too, with a huge majority,” he added.

Janata Dal-United leader Chandeshwar Prasad said: “Everyone is free to contest elections. There is no restriction on anyone.”

However, he asserted: “According to me, he (Kishor) will not succeed in this election.”

Earlier on Sunday, Prashant Kishor addressed the media in Patna, saying that the JSP will fight the by-election with full conviction and vigour, saying that the party’s victory will lay the foundation for the beginning of “alternative politics” in the state.

“For the past four years, Jan Suraaj has been my life, and for the next ten years, until the vision of change in Bihar is achieved, I have no other purpose. I consider the responsibility of contesting the Bankipur by-election as a step towards that goal. Thousands and millions of people were connected with the ideas and efforts of Jan Suraaj in November 2025. After the 2025 Assembly poll results, many felt disappointed or discouraged. Most of them believe that if Jan Suraaj wins the Bankipur by-election, it will not only strengthen the movement but also help revive the vision of change in Bihar. I accept this responsibility with humility and thank all my colleagues, workers, and leaders,” Kishor said.

–IANS

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