Patna, August 17: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday took oath as the Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Bankipur constituency in the presence of Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar.

Speaking to reporters after taking the oath, Kishor described his entry into the House as a matter of pride, recalling the contributions of several prominent Bihar leaders who had served in the Assembly.

“To be a member of the House in which people like Krishna Sinha, Karpoori Thakur, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Kedar Pandey, Ram Vilas Paswan, and Sushil Kumar Modi served is a matter of pride for me,” he said.

Kishor also termed his new role a “big responsibility”, saying he would seek to follow the example of legislators who dedicated significant years of their lives to the development of society and Bihar.

His oath-taking ceremony comes after a historic electoral debut in the Bankipur bypoll held on August 3. Kishor won the prestigious constituency, ending the BJP’s long-standing hold over the seat, which the party had represented since 1995.

Kishor secured 64,151 votes, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by a margin of 19,324 votes. Kumar received 44,827 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated after BJP president Nitin Nabin vacated the Bankipur seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

Kishor’s victory marks a significant political development in Bihar and gives the Jan Suraaj Party representation inside the state legislature. His performance will now be closely watched as he begins his tenure as an elected legislator and seeks to translate his political agenda into legislative action.