Patna, Aug. 3 -- Streets across Patna erupted into celebrations as Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor pulled off a monumental political upset in the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly byelection. Crossing Round 22 of 31 in vote counting, Kishor extended a commanding lead over BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha.

As news of the mounting lead spread, hundreds of Jan Suraaj workers gathered outside counting centres and party offices in Patna, dancing to dhol beats, smearing green gulal, and raising slogans hailing a "new dawn of alternative politics in Bihar."

The Bankipur Assembly seat (formerly Patna West) is not just any constituency; it has been an unassailable stronghold for the BJP since 1995. For over three decades, the constituency w...