'Sole objective is development of Bihar': Prashant Kishor says Bankipur lead is a message to BJP

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Monday said his lead in the Bankipur Assembly by-election reflected a broader message from the people of Bihar, as counting continued with him maintaining a comfortable advantage over the BJP's Neeraj Kumar.

According to the latest Election Commission figures after Round 16, Kishor had secured 31,742 votes and was leading Kumar by 8,966 votes. With five rounds of counting still to go, the Jan Suraaj founder remained on course for a strong showing in the BJP stronghold.

'This is to give the message'

Speaking to reporters during the counting process, Kishor said the bypoll was about more than electing a legislator.

"This is not an election to make an MLA, this is to give the message to the top leadership of the BJP that a good person should be made CM in Bihar, so that there is education, employment in Bihar, the people gave this message. I want to thank the people who voted, those who did not, I will try to win them... But important is that Bihar should get good leadership... The migration should stop from here..." he said.

He also outlined what he believed were the state's priorities.

“They (the people of Bihar) want a good chief minister who can improve education, create employment opportunities for the youth, and ensure that the children of Bihar do not have to migrate elsewhere for work...The important point is that Bihar needs good leadership and real development. Before the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Modi, the BJP, and Amit Shah should focus on improving Bihar, creating jobs for its youth, and stopping migration.

That is our only objective. We do not want to become MLAs merely to award contracts. Our sole objective is the development of Bihar,” Kishor said.

Wife thanks voters

Reacting to the trends, Kishor's wife, Jahnavi Das, expressed happiness over the outcome so far.

“I thank the public of Bankipur and Bihar,” she said, adding that she was very happy as Kishor headed towards a significant victory in the constituency.

Counting of votes is still underway, with a few rounds remaining before the final result is declared.