Prashant Kishor: From Modi's backroom strategist in 2014 to Bankipur MLA in 2026 - tracing his political journey

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor took oath as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Bihar’s Bankipur assembly constituency on 17 August, Monday. Kishor delivered a major setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had held the seat since 1995, by winning the recent bypoll.

Kishor is now the sole MLA representing his Jan Suraaj Party in the Bihar Assembly. The bypoll to the assembly seat was necessitated by the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin, whose late father, Navin Chandra Sinha, began the party's winning streak in 1995, when the seat was known as “Patna seat”.

Before becoming an MLA, Prashant Kishor was known in India and beyond as a master political strategist who operated behind the scenes, shaping election campaigns, decoding voter sentiment and helping political leaders win power..

For over a decade, Prashant Kishor, also known as PK, was abig name in Indian politics, yet his name never appeared on a ballot paper. On 30 July, however, PK's name appeared on EVM for the first time. Voters chose during Bankipur bypolls. As it turned out on 3 August, Kishor won the election and became an MLA for the first time.

Who is Prashant Kishor?

Prashant Kishor was born in 1977 in Konar village of Bihar's Rohtas district.

Later, he moved to Buxar to complete his secondary education. Born to government physician Dr Shrikant Pandey, Kishor worked for eight years in a public health programme funded by the United Nations.

Kishor co-founded Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG) which eventually became Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC). Kishor and his I-PAC designed Narendra Modi’s highly successful 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, popularising innovative strategies like Chai Pe Charcha and 3D hologram rallies. Kishor is not part if I-PAC anymore.

A year later, Prashant Kishor was credited with forging an unlikely alliance among the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal (United), and Congress in Bihar. The Mahagathbandhan, as it was called then, won, with Nitish Kumar leading the government until 2017 when the JD(U) pulled the plug on it and joined hands with the BJP.

Congress hired Kishor for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly election. The loss was first major electoral debacle for Kishor. In 2018, Kishor joined Nitish Kumar's JD(U) as vice president. Two years later, he was expelled by Nitish Kumar.

Kishor's organisation, I-PAC, continued to work with multiple political parties. He worked with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh elections and then the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi in 2020.

In 2021, Kishor Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu won assembly elections in both states.

So, from BJP's Narendra Modi's 2014 campaign to Mamata Banerjee's sensational third-term win in 2021, Kishor and the political consultancy firm IPAC, which he founded, have achieved success in many elections in which he has led campaigns for different parties since 2011.

In the process, Kishor earned a name as a high-profile handler of politicians and perfected the art of winning elections and influencing people. After the 2021 success, Kishor said: "I do not want to continue what I am doing. I have done enough. Time for me to take a break and do something else in life. I want to quit this space."

He eventually shifted entirely to active grassroots politics in 2022 when he announced plans to start a political party by working for "Jan Suraaj" or "people's good governance". He then embarked on a 3,000-km padyatra across Bihar called the "Jan Suraaj Padyatra."

On 2 October 2024, Kishor officially launched the Jan Suraaj Party, which contested the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. Kishor’s party contested almost all the seats but ended up winning none.

The Bankipur bypoll victory is Jan Suraaj’s first major electoral victory.

In a 2021 interview with the BBC, Prashant Kishor admitted that he rarely watches the news on TV, does not read newspapers, and never writes his emails or takes notes. Prashant Kishor also said he had not used a laptop in a decade. The only gadget he uses is his phone, Kishor told the BBC

"I am not a believer in work-life balance and have literally no interests outside my work," he had said.

An alternative for both sides: Kishor

Kishor is said to have had offers from Disney, Netflix and even Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan for biopics - all of which he has refused, according to the BBC interview.

In an interview with Mint in the middle of Bihar elections in October 2025, Prashant Kishor said for the last 30 years, people in Bihar have either supported Nitish Kumar and the BJP due to their fear of Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD).

“Jan Suraaj is an alternative for both sides. Previously, Muslim voters who believed that supporting the BJP would not be in their favour often chose Lalu Prasad Yadav, despite not liking him. But now they have an alternative - Jan Suraaj,” Kishor told this reporter.

Jan Suraaj could not win any seats in 2025 Bihar election. But Bankipur victory let its chief PK to enter Bihar assembly for the first time.

How rich is Prashant Kishor?

In 2025, Kishor had famously revealed that he earned ₹241 crore in 3 years by advising companies and individuals. He had said that he paid ₹30.95 crore in GST and ₹20 crore in Income Tax, besides donating ₹98.75 crore to the Jan Suraaj movement before it became a political party.

Prashant Kishor has declared a net worth of about ₹198 crore in an affidavit filed with nomination papers for the Bankipur bypoll. His net worth includes assets declared by his wife and a dependent.

In his election affidavit seen by Mint, Kishor has declared movable family assets worth ₹111. 78 crore and immovable assets worth ₹86.29 crore. The combined declared wealth includes financial portfolios such as fixed deposits, mutual funds, and bonds, as well as a dismantled rice mill and 475 grams of gold.

Kishor is married to Jahnavi Das, a medical practitioner from Assam. A doctor by training, Dr Das currently serves as Senior Advisor -- Special Projects at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi, where she has been associated with healthcare management, strategic planning and public health initiatives.

Kishor met Dr Das first while working on a United Nations public health initiative.

Background and political journey in a nutshell

-Born in 1977 in Rohtas district, Bihar.

-Moved to Buxar to complete his secondary education.

-Public Health Career: Worked for about eight years on a United Nations-supported public health program before shifting focus to political strategy.

Political Strategist: Earned reputation after managing the successful 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign for Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Key Campaigns: Advised numerous prominent political parties across India, including JD(U) in Bihar, Congress in Punjab, AAP in Delhi, YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, DMK in Tamil Nadu, and TMC in West Bengal.

Grassroot Politics: Launched a massive grassroots padayatra (foot march) across Bihar in October 2022 to connect with citizens on issues like education, migration, and employment.

Active Politics: Formed the Jan Suraaj Party on 2 October 2024, aiming to offer an alternative focused on development rather than identity and caste politics.

Maiden Election Victory: Won his maiden election from Bankipur during bypoll, the result of which was announced on 3 August.

Takes oath: Took oath as Bankipur MLA on 17 August, Monday.