India, July 7 -- Jan Suraaj Party founder and former poll strategist Prashant Kishor is in spotlight since Sunday, after he threw his hat in the ring for the by-election to the Bankipur assembly seat in Bihar. The seat has long been a bastion for BJP President Nitin Nabin but has fallen vacant ever since he became a Rajya Sabha MP.

Prashant Kishor's victory in this seat would be a big boost for the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), which drew a blank in the Bihar Assembly elections last year.

However, his contest has drawn mixed reactions, with the BJP dismissing the bid, and Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha calling it a "dhamaka".

While Kishor announced his Bankipur contest on Sunday, speculation of his move had been around since May.

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