Patna: After Jan Suraaj won the Bankipur assembly by-election, Congress slammed the RJD for the result that swung towards Prashant Kishor.The bypoll result exposed differences within the opposition alliance, with Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari blaming the RJD for the Mahagathbandhan’s defeat, saying the party contested the election without consulting its alliance partners.“Senior Congress and Left functionaries were not taken into confidence. We will sit together and analyse the outcome,” Tiwari said.RJD national working president Tejashwi Prasad Yadav did not comment publicly on the result, his sister and MP Misa Bharti said, “This is not the victory of Prashant Kishor but that of the BJP.”RJD state spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan, however, described the BJP’s defeat as the election’s biggest takeaway.“Who won is not as important as the BJP losing its safest seat,” Gagan said, claiming the outcome reflected public dissatisfaction with the ruling NDA govt. He added that the RJD would continue its political campaign under Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s leadership.Janashakti Janata Dal (JJD) founder and elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Tej Pratap Yadav, congratulated Kishor on social media, describing the victory as “historic” and saying his party had extended support to Kishor’s campaign.BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi said the party accepted the people’s mandate with humility.“BJP accepts the mandate of the Bankipur byelection with bowed head and respects the decision of the people. In a democracy, the people’s verdict is supreme. We will seriously review the reasons for the defeat, identify our shortcomings and address them,” Saraogi said, while congratulating the winning candidate.
