Patna, Aug. 3 -- Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor framed his lead in the Bankipur by-election, which has been considered a stronghold for the BJP for decades, as a message from the people of Bihar to the BJP's central leadership rather than simply a contest for one assembly seat that voters were rejecting leaders with tainted records in favour of governance focused on development.

He consolidated his lead in the Bankipur assembly bypoll, with the latest Election Commission of India data showing him ahead by nearly 19,419 votes. According to the ECI, Kishor has polled 59,213 votes against BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar's 39,794 votes. RJD's Rekha Kumari trails in third place with 13,260 votes.

"This is the victory of the people of Bank...