Patna, Bihar: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor appeared set to secure his first electoral victory after taking a commanding lead in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, while his Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) looked poised to register its first election win. According to Election Commission trends available after 29 of the 31 counting rounds, Kishor was leading by nearly 20,000 votes over the BJP candidate. The bypoll was widely viewed as an important test for Kishor’s political experiment after the Jan Suraaj Party failed to win a seat in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. Kishor reportedly began campaigning weeks before his main rivals, holding neighbourhood meetings, padyatras and small public interactions across the constituency. During the campaign, Kishor alleged that cash was being distributed to influence voters, while he also questioned a campaign video featuring former chief minister Nitish Kumar, claiming it had been created using artificial intelligence.