Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor’s victory from Bankipur, a segment of the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, is reminiscent of the historic election held in 1967, which saw an Independent candidate, Mahamaya Prasad Sinha, wrest the seat from the strongman Chief Minister Krishna Ballabh Sahay.
The seat, then called Patna West, has been instrumental in Sinha’s and Bihar’s political evolution. Sinha then joined the Jan Kranthi Dal and became the fifth Chief Minister of Bihar from March 1967 to January 1968, leading the first non-Congress Government in Bihar.
The constituency has always remained a socially relevant one in the history of Bihar and the election of Kishor, a novice politician, has drawn comparison with Sinha’s ascent to the helm of the state.
Like Sinha, Kishor too chose a different political path. Mahamaya Prasad Sinha left the Congress party to form the Jan Kranti Dal while Kishor left the JD(U) and began his political journey with the Jan Suraj Party. Both have chosen paths that diverged from the established political structure.
Another similarity is their support for student movements. In 1967, Mahamaya Prasad Sinha was seen supporting the student movement just before his elections. It was these students’ movements that even fueled a massive political shift which helped break the long rule of the Congress in the state.
Kishor has also been staging protests and fasting in support of students in Bihar over competitive exams and paper leaks. Their advocacy for student issues in their political campaigns is being seen as a common point.
The rise of Kishor has also prompted discussions of a new alternative in Bihar. After the 1967 elections, a non-Congress government was formed in the state for the first time. Though it is a victory that won’t affect the standing of the Samrat Chaudhary government, Kishor’s wresting of the seat has triggered discussions about the party as an alternative force in the state.
