Bankipur voted in a low-turnout bypoll as Prashant Kishor made his electoral debut against the BJP. Allegations over detentions and fake voters sharpened a contest whose result will be declared on August 3.

While the BJP lost its 30-year fortress in the heart of Patna, the RJD might have suffered the more significant political setback. With anti-BJP votes likely getting consolidated with Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, Bankipur could mark the beginning of a larger realignment in Bihar's opposition politics.

The Jan Suraaj Party founder's victory in the bypoll has started a debate among poll pundits over whether the new outfit might make inroads into the Rashtriya Janata Dal's traditional vote bank.

Prashant Kishor defeated BJP's Neeraj Kumar in the Bankipur bypoll, ending the party's three-decade hold on the seat. BJP chief Nitin Nabin accepted the verdict and said the losses in Bankipur and Datia would be reviewed seriously.

Jan Suraaj's Prashant Kishor, who led a fierce campaign against Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary, is set to enter the Assembly after his historic win in Bankipur bypoll. With Kishor now set to become an MLA, his challenge to the chief minister will now shift from rallies and press conferences to the Assembly floor, where he can hold it to account on record.