- 1 day ago
The BJP suffered a major setback after losing its 30-year stronghold in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, while protests erupted in Ranchi over a recruitment controversy, with aspirants demanding action over alleged irregularities in the hiring process.
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00:15Very good evening, you're watching To The Point. I'm Preeti Chaudhary. Lots news coming in, especially from the state of
00:22Bihar on one particular bipoles, which seemingly I'm surprised.
00:26All of that, but first up, allow me to take you through the headlines.
00:32Prashant Kishore breaches three-decade-old BJP bastion, wins Barkipur Assembly Bipoles by over 19,000 votes.
00:41While speaking to India today, Prashant Kishore lashes out on BJP for appointing Samrat Chaudhary, Bihar CM.
01:05High stakes assembly by polls end. BJP retains Manjalpur seat in Gujarat. Congress also retains MPs Dhatia by over 6
01:14,000 votes.
01:20Last-minute confusion. Mars-Karnataka cabinet expansion. 20 names were cleared, but only 19 ministers take oath. Rebellion results in
01:28at least three MLA's trending resignation.
01:36A Delhi court acquits former Wrestling Federation of India Chief Bridgushan Sharan Singh in sexual harassment case filed by six
01:45women wrestlers.
01:52RSS speaks out on students' protests led by CJP called Jantar Mantar protesters anti-nationals.
01:59CJP hits back, says RSS has no right to call anyone anti-national.
02:19Top story. The man who spent years scripting electoral victories for others has finally got one for himself after doing
02:28not so well in the Bihar elections.
02:30Rashaant Kishore has today won the Bankipur Assembly by polls, handing Jan Suraj, his party, its first-ever electoral win
02:39and ending the BJP's 30-year-old hold on one of its strongest bastions in Bihar.
02:46Elsewhere, the BJP retained Manjalpur in Gujarat, which also went to by polls and counting was today, while the Congress
02:52maintained Dhatia in Madhya Pradesh.
02:55But Bankipur delivered the biggest political headline of the day.
03:19A tectonic shift in Bihar politics.
03:27Monday blues for the BJP.
03:35Rashaant Kishore has pulled off a major political upset, winning the Bankipur Assembly by poll and ending the BJP's 30
03:43-year-old grip on one of its strongest urban bastions.
03:47The poll strategist turned politician has won his maiden election, defeating both the BJP and the RJD in a high
03:55-stakes triangular contest.
03:56The victory also gives Jan Suraj its first-ever poll victory.
04:23The win marks a dramatic turnaround for a party that drew a blank just months ago.
04:32In the 2025 Assembly elections, Jan Suraj contested 238 seats, failed to win even one and lost deposits in 236
04:43constituencies.
04:45Bankipur has now rewritten that story.
04:47So what worked for Prashant Kishore in Bankipur?
04:54Anti-incumbency against BJP.
04:57Jobs and education pitch.
04:59Youth anger over paper leaks.
05:02Strong urban connect.
05:03Third option appeal.
05:05And triangular contest.
05:08Unlike the BJP's conventional campaign, Kishore went hyper-local.
05:13Mahalla meetings, chai bethaks, padhyatras and jansamwaad programs became his political campaign trail.
05:21His pitch remained simple.
05:24Vote for your children's future, not the politics of the past.
05:29But Bankipur has never been an easy constituency to crack.
05:34It is a layered caste matrix.
05:37Kayas form 14% of electorate.
05:40Followed by OBC's 15%.
05:42Yadavs who form 10-12%.
05:46Muslims 7-9%.
05:48And Dalits who form 8% of the voters.
05:53Bankipur's caste equations make it a constituency where social equations
05:57have traditionally shaped outcomes.
06:00For the BJP, it's the loss of a constituency closely associated with party president Nitin Nabeen's political career.
06:10For RJD, finishing behind Jansuraj strengthens Prashant Kishore's claim as a serious challenger in Bihar's opposition space.
06:20Elsewhere, the BJP managed to retain Manjalpur in Gujarat.
06:28While the Congress notched up a key victory in Madhya Pradesh's Dathya.
06:34But it was Bankipur that delivered the day's biggest political headline.
06:42Bankipur may have been just won by poll.
06:45But its message is far bigger than one seat.
06:49For years, Prashant Kishore scripted victories for others.
06:53Today, he has scripted his own.
06:55And in the process, redrawn Bihar's political map.
07:01With Rohit Singh and Shashi Bhushan, Bureau Report, India Today.
07:09All right, on the channel, we're going to get some of India's top political editors.
07:14But before we do that, the man on ground, Rohit Singh, who has documented Rohit.
07:20Some would say very surprising.
07:22Many would suggest historic win today.
07:29Well, yes, it's a historic win for Prashant Kishore because making inroads into the BJP bastion for the last 35
07:37years is no ordinary work that he has done.
07:40So that is a big, big win for Prashant Kishore.
07:44But there are a couple of messages also as far as other political parties of Bihar is concerned.
07:49A big, big political message for the BJP.
07:52I can say a wake-up call for the BJP because, remember, there are a lot of issues that were
07:59raised in this election by Prashant Kishore.
08:01Whether it was the death of the NEET aspirant in Patna in January this year.
08:07Then the Bhojpur encounter that took place.
08:10And then the protest of the students that took place just one week ahead of the crucial voting.
08:17Remember, voting took place on 30th of July and on two days, that is 22nd and 25th, there was massive
08:24student protest in Patna that has taken place.
08:27And therefore, it seems that there was some sort of an anger that was simmering within the BJP cadre also.
08:33And the voters of Baakipur, who traditionally have voted for the BJP.
08:37And Prashant Kishore has managed to cash on that anger that was simmering against the BJP.
08:44On the other hand, there is a bigger and a larger message I can tell for Tejasvi Yadav.
08:50Because now Prashant Kishore emerging as a bigger face of the opposition and making a place for himself in the
08:58opposition space,
08:59does not augur well for Tejasvi Yadav.
09:02Because remember, Tejasvi, despite being in politics, is not considered to be a serious politician many a times.
09:09Because remember, just a week back, there was a monsoon session of the assembly that took place and Tejasvi was
09:15absent all the five days.
09:16In London. You know, I just want to ask you one quick question, Rohit, before.
09:21Clearly, Prashant Kishore has brewed the perfect political storm where this bipolar is concerned.
09:25You spoke with Prashant Kishore, we played that interview out.
09:30But every statement he's given after his win, Rohit, pinpointed to wanting the Chief Minister of Bihar to step down.
09:38Is this going to be his agenda from here on?
09:46Well, absolutely. He has taken on Samrat Chaudhary for the last one year or so.
09:52Remember, before the Bihar assembly elections took place in 2025, he was hitting out at Samrat Chaudhary,
09:59alleging that he was involved in murder cases and all those things, questioning his educational qualifications.
10:05And just before the Bakipur elections also, he was calling this election a referendum for Samrat Chaudhary
10:12because he claimed that Samrat Chaudhary was a selected Chief Minister. He was not an elected Chief Minister.
10:17And that is why he called this election a referendum for Samrat Chaudhary.
10:22And now that BJP has lost this seat, Prashant Kishore is going hard against Samrat Chaudhary,
10:29demanding his resignation, calling him that the people of Bakipur have rejected him.
10:34Back to you.
10:35All right. Thank you, Rohit, for joining us.
10:36Mind you, viewers, this is the first electoral battle that the BJP and its ally in Bihar have gone into
10:43without the face of Nitish Kumar.
10:45They won the last election as him as the Chief Ministerial face.
10:49I want to now cut across to, like I promised, the country's top political editors who've watched politics for a
10:55very long time
10:56and they'll be able to calibrate for us that I'll be overestimating, exaggerating Prashant Kishore's win
11:02or does this win actually mean a little more than just a bi-poll win?
11:07I have with me in the studio our consulting editor, Rajdeep Sardesai, Raj Chengappa,
11:13our group editorial director, publishing India Today Group, Mr. Prabhu Chawla, editorial director,
11:18the New Indian Express and the Sunday Standard, and Manisha Priyam, political analyst,
11:22someone who knows Bihar by the back of her hand.
11:25Before I cut across to you three gentlemen allowed to bring, you know, I'd like you to allow me to
11:30get in,
11:31Manisha Priyam, the true Bihar ki beti. How shocked is Ms. Priyam today with what you have seen?
11:38Do you think this is just a bi-poll result or do you think it has a bigger political connotation
11:43to it?
11:47No, this has been huge. It's a tectonic shift, so to say.
11:51Those who understand Patna Arban understand that for the last three decades or more than that,
11:58Nitin Naveen's father, the late Sri Naveen Kishore Sina, had been holding the constituency between him and Sushil Modi.
12:05They had recrafted the politics of Patna Arban.
12:09Remember, this was a bastion of the left before the 90s.
12:13Comrade Ramothar Shastri would win these elections.
12:16But after the 1990s, the emergence of the BJP as a force and this constituency more than any other constituency,
12:24remember, out of three lakh voters, two lakh are upper caste.
12:28Also, Kais find their concentration here.
12:30So, the huge Kais concentration and, of course, all of the historic land sites that you know,
12:37the institutions that you know in Patna are all within this area,
12:43including, of course, the informal shadow education market in Musallapur, Gali and Haat.
12:49So, what happened then that the educated, upper caste, BJP-loving Bihari for over decades,
12:56more than a quarter century, shifted in less than six months and voted lock, stock and barrel?
13:02The end of the politics of the majority, so to say.
13:05The end of the Aghara-Pichhara divides.
13:07Remember, the SIR, in a sense, had put the minority community on the back foot.
13:12The Sabjibag Muslims, etc. Many names deleted.
13:17What happened to that majority?
13:19What happened to that constituency that has just given the BJP as a national party,
13:24its Yuva Chehra, its own somewhat a Gen Z political neta of Nitin Naveen?
13:31A huge setback to the command, central command model of the BJP
13:35that was falling in love with the Bihari form of politics and the Bihari Naya Netas.
13:41As Samrat Chaudhary also on the back foot, remember,
13:44one Prashant Kishore in the Bihar Legislative Assembly will be far higher than any sound decibel
13:51that will come out of Samrat Chaudhary and Tejasri other sparring at each other.
13:56So, huge, huge tectonic shift, this one.
14:00And the narrative is likely to change.
14:01Rajdeep, politically loaded message for Prashant Kishore in his own words,
14:06from Farsh to Arsh, do you see this as a bigger hit to the opposition?
14:11Do you think the BJP has more to lose here?
14:14Look, I think both have lost. That's very clear.
14:18The fact is that a seat which you win by 58,000 votes just six months ago,
14:24you now lose by 20,000 is a 78,000 vote shift in a seat which was held by your
14:31national president.
14:32So, in that sense, a huge blow to Samrat Chaudhary, the chief minister, who became chief minister just three months
14:41ago, after Nitish Kumar was virtually forced to quit.
14:44And it reveals, therefore, why the BJP perhaps needed Nitish Kumar more than even Nitish needed the BJP six months
14:51ago.
14:52That's why even an ailing Nitish Kumar had to be made the face of the Bihar elections in 2025, with
14:58no Nitish there, with Samrat Chaudhary there, and look at whom Prashant Kishore relentlessly targeted.
15:03He didn't speak about Narendra Modi. He spoke about Samrat Chaudhary time and again, as you said, he's asking for
15:10his resignation.
15:10So, this is a massive defeat in that sense, a credibility loss for both Nitin Nabeen, who has even lost
15:17in his own ward, and for Samrat Chaudhary.
15:22As far as the RJD is concerned, of course, it's a loss. When you again come down from 45,000
15:27votes to just about 8-10,000 votes, you've also suffered a huge blow.
15:31Rajdeep, can I just interrupt you? And the reason I'm doing so is Prashant Kishore just speaking. Just quickly, let's
15:36dip into it and I'm back with Rajdeep. Just 10 seconds.
15:38I'm not doing this.
15:40Parents just sitting here and laughs. This is not a test. If Mr. Modi Ji has filed this duty to
15:42go 25
15:43We are going to be 40 MPs and 40 MPs.
15:46We are going to have a factory here,
15:50so that we have children in train, bus,
15:54and out of the bus.
15:57This is the case that the people of Bฤkฤซpลซr
15:59of Bฤkฤซpลซr,
16:00the people of Bฤkฤซpลซr,
16:01the people of Bฤkฤซpลซr,
16:03the people of Bฤkฤซpลซr,
16:19the people of Bฤkฤซpลซr,
16:19that's why the people of Bฤkฤซpลซr
16:20who will be able to help us
16:21with the importance of Bฤkฤซpลซr.
16:22will be able to help these people.
16:22A lot of Bฤkฤซpลซr
16:22will be able to help us.
16:24But Bฤkฤซpลซr
16:24can help us to help us.
16:39Bฤkฤซpลซr
16:40can help us to help us.
17:02เคเคฟเคธ เคตเคนเคพเคฐ เคเค เคฆเฅเคถ เคเคพ เคธเคฌเคธเฅ เคเคฐเฅเคฌ เคเคฐ เคชเคฟเคเคฒเคพ เคฐเคพเคเคฏ เคนเฅ เคคเฅ เคเคฟเคธ เคฎเฅเคฆเฅเคเฅ เคเฅ เคเคฟเคธ เคญเคพเคเคชเคพ เคเฅ เคนเคฎ เคฒเฅเค
17:07เคญเฅเค เคฆเฅเคคเฅ เคนเฅเค เคเคเคกเคฟเคฏเฅ เคเฅ เคญเฅเค เคฆเฅเคคเฅ เคนเฅเค
17:11foreign
18:07all right
18:09Rajdeep this was Prashant Kishore just speaking to us right now
18:12look as you saw and I and we mentioned this his attack is on Samrat Chaudhary
18:17chief minister for just three months and there's been a lot of disquiet over the manner in which his appointment
18:21was made
18:22and there are question marks over a number of BJP chief ministers
18:25Samrat Chaudhary is just one of them
18:27are they being handpicked by the BJP high command much in the way that the congress would do in its
18:32pomp in the 70s and 80s
18:34even if the local leaders may not necessarily want a particular individual
18:38he's imposed on them from above
18:40so the vulnerability of Samrat Chaudhary is being revealed there
18:44in the manner in which Prashant Kishore is relentlessly attacking Samrat Chaudhary
18:48the point about RJD
18:49the RJD is also significantly declined
18:51because at the end of the day the RJD has been unable to reinvent itself over the last decades
18:57just six years ago Preeti
18:59it was Tejasvi Yadav who came within a whisker of becoming chief minister
19:03riding a wave of youth anger and discontent
19:06now six years later as we are seeing in Bakipur
19:09that same youth anger and discontent is moving towards Prashant Kishore
19:13who unlike Tejasvi does not carry the baggage of the past
19:17Tejasvi always carried the baggage in a way
19:19it was his advantage and his disadvantage that he was the son of Ladu Prasad
19:23so people are looking for change from the duopoly
19:27of JDU BJP on one side RJD on the other
19:31and Prashant Kishore has capitalized, crystallized on it at the right time
19:36Chandachori, the student protests
19:39the fact that the BJP last minute even switched its candidate
19:43became complacent
19:44Prashant blindsided them by taking this big risk
19:47and when the RJD should have been actually contesting the election fiercely
19:51where was Tejasvi? He was in London
19:53so all of this has come to make, give Prashant Kishore an opportunity
19:58I don't think we should now suggest that Prashant Kishore is going to be the face of Bihar just yet
20:03but he now has an opportunity with a seat in the legislature
20:07to over the next four years build himself as a challenger to the BJP-JDU combined
20:13and as you can see, if the BJP retains the kind of cheap ministers it has in several states
20:19it will become increasingly vulnerable
20:22the double engine is sputtering in certain states
20:26You know, I want to bring in Raj Chingapa into this conversation
20:29and Alaska producers to pull out what the vote share swing looks like
20:33and why, Raj, it is, if you look at it, Mr. Chingapa, it's astounding
20:38because just 10 months ago you had the Jansu Raj in 2025
20:42same assembly seat polling less than 5%
20:45today, Prashant Kishore has nearly polled 50% of the votes in Bankipur
20:50you look at the drop in BJP vote share
20:53you look at the drop in RJD vote share
20:56it's both
20:56he has devastated both vote banks of the BJP as well as the RJD today
21:03You know, Piti, I'd like to look at this win with a wider frame
21:08I think both Manisha and Rajdeep had summed up the impact well
21:13and just to take a word that Manisha used in terms of the tectonic shift
21:19that we are seeing there
21:20I would look at it as one more shot that has been fired from Bihar
21:26as we have seen from Delhi, Jantar Mantar and in Tamil Nadu
21:31a shot that is resonating across the country as the other two had done so
21:38and the reason for that is the BJP has to look out for itself now
21:42the ruling BJP right across the country
21:45you are seeing within, you know, weeks of what happened in Jantar Mantar
21:51the big sea change that is happening in Bihar
21:53you could say, yes, this is only one sort of win that's there
21:57and therefore you can't extrapolate too much
21:59but clearly this is a warning for the BJP
22:02that this, they cannot take the country for granted anymore
22:06not as we saw in Tamil Nadu
22:09not that the BJP was a major factor
22:10but as Rajdeep pointed out
22:12every single party has to recalibrate
22:15the duopoly that had in Tamil Nadu is gone
22:17it may still be there in Bihar
22:20we have to see more
22:21but Vijay certainly spelled the beginning of that Gen Z movement
22:24the young movement, the anger that is being shown
22:26of discarding the regular parties
22:28and then moving as we saw in Jantar Mantar
22:30the kind of protest that brought down a union minister
22:34and now we are seeing in Bihar a follow-up of that
22:37early days as yet
22:39but clearly the BJP should take this warning
22:42that this is not going to be the end of it
22:46well, you know, you talk about the Gen Z
22:47we just want to throw, you know, a fact out there
22:50that Bihar in Uttar Pradesh has over 30% of people
22:54closing to 40% that is Gen Z
22:56so, and you know, imagine how many of them
22:58would be voting in this particular election
23:00I want to bring in Mr. Prabhu Chawla
23:02into this conversation
23:03Mr. Chawla, will this also
23:04you know, you had Mr. Chengappa
23:07who stressed on warning bells for the BJP
23:09but this also somewhere down the line
23:11which he also alluded to
23:13will change the dynamics of the opposition in Bihar
23:16already you had the Congress split in Bihar
23:19whether to support Prashant Kishore
23:21or to go with, in this case, with RJD
23:25how do you see things pan out?
23:30Sir, one more
23:31Pritiya, we are looking for a picture
23:33which doesn't exist
23:34I don't agree with all the three
23:35unfortunately panelists who are speaking
23:37because one by-election
23:38is not going to dictate the politics of Bihar
23:40or of the nation
23:42I would look at the picture
23:43it was a confrontation or a conflict
23:45between two personalities
23:47one was a Rottweiler
23:48and the other was a Labrador
23:52can you hear me?
23:53Go ahead, go ahead
23:57So, it was a fight
23:58between two personalities
24:00Prashant Kishore would have won election
24:01even five months ago
24:03if he did contest election
24:04because he is a pan-India known figure
24:08and you are putting up a person
24:09against a non-entity there
24:10therefore, I would say
24:12it was a victory of Prashant Kishore
24:13personality
24:15not of any ideology
24:16defeat or NBDS
24:17yes, there was an anti-chief minister sentiment
24:20since there
24:20he has been campaigning
24:22against some Prashant Kishore
24:23so, when you say
24:23what powered his victory
24:25I would say
24:26the powerless chief minister
24:27powered the victory
24:28but looking in terms of
24:29so and so has won
24:30because he has been able
24:31to get the Gen Z
24:32he has been able to get this
24:34he has won election
24:35he has fought election
24:35for 12 chief minister
24:36he claimed today
24:37that he has entrafted
24:39the victory of 12 chief minister
24:418 of them were winning election anyway
24:43so he has good PR machine
24:44yeah, I know it
24:45he speaks very well
24:46he has the figures at his hand
24:48his campaign was very well conducted
24:50but putting it into a perspective
24:52it was a vote against
24:53the sitting chief minister
24:54I would not agree
24:55yes, there are sentiments
24:56against chief minister
24:57normally a by-election
24:59is never lost by ruling party
25:00within six months
25:01he is coming to power
25:02but comparing
25:03Jhant Sena
25:04with Prashant Kishore
25:05and then building
25:06a narrative around it
25:07that is a vote against
25:09Nabi and it against
25:10PJP and it against
25:11RJT
25:11it is too much
25:13we look into excuses
25:14or some explanation
25:15which don't exist
25:16it is just an election
25:18between two personalities
25:19one was just a pygmy
25:21another was a little bigger
25:23than what face was
25:24he is a pad state person
25:26you pull out some Sena
25:27they won it for 35 years
25:29because it was a family
25:30fiefdom
25:31Even if somebody else had been put, like I would say, Ravi Shankar Prashant Kishore would have been put there,
25:35he would have defeated Prashant Kishore.
25:37So, we are looking at something which doesn't exist.
25:40Let us reduce it to just the victory of Prashant Kishore.
25:43He well deserved victory.
25:44He campaigned well.
25:45He spoke well.
25:46He raised all the issues.
25:48But looking into the picture that he has changed the whole matrix of this place.
25:52Kaya Stav not voted.
25:53Dasar not voted.
25:5450% of the people, you are saying, yes, Prashant Kishore candidate, that woman,
26:01who fought last time shot, got only 7,000 votes.
26:03This fellow has won by 20,000 votes.
26:05As Rajiv was saying, this is 70,000 votes.
26:07It is because of the candidate.
26:09Just candidate is the person there.
26:11But there was anti-incumbency, maybe.
26:15But I would put in that way that BJP should not have taken that risk.
26:19They should have put up a proper candidate who could match the personality of Prashant Kishore.
26:24Interesting, Mr. Chabla, because you talk about Ravi Shankar Prashant, Prashant Kishore.
26:28In every sabha quoted, what he alleged was said by Ravi Shankar Prasad,
26:34which was,
26:34If any child will stand up with BJP, he will win.
26:40This was what Prashant Kishore was quoting,
26:42which he said was allegedly said by Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad.
26:45But fair point, sir.
26:45Priti, if you remember, people...
26:47Yes.
26:50Priti was, I would remind you, people,
26:52Congress people used to say,
26:53I'm going to stand up with BJP and bring it up.
26:56These are the way.
26:57Ravi Shankar Prashad is not known for decency.
26:59He's always arrogant.
27:00That is a different issue.
27:01So you are just saying, so it's the arrogance.
27:02He was comparing once some Sina with Prashant Kishore.
27:06Okay.
27:07Congress was equally arrogant at that time.
27:08Fair point, sir.
27:09You're right.
27:10Bangor.
27:10People are fighting.
27:11Let me complete.
27:13Yes.
27:14Let me complete what I'm trying to say,
27:16because the question is,
27:17we're looking into big picture that BJP is finished.
27:21I mean, this is, and this is,
27:23I can agree, RJD is almost dying there.
27:26That's perhaps the strategy,
27:27because the regional party,
27:28Nijadav was not visible there.
27:30He doesn't campaign.
27:30He lost his credibility.
27:32I can agree on that.
27:33But Prashant Kishore was sure victory from the day one,
27:37when Sina was put up against him.
27:39Any journalist who was covering,
27:40there would have seen that nobody was there.
27:43If it was Samanathan Ameen,
27:44one of the people who were prominent city,
27:46prominent leader of the BJP.
27:48You're saying, sir,
27:49it's all upon the candidate,
27:50even though Nitin Ameen,
27:51Nitin Ameen practically parked himself there
27:54in the last two weeks.
27:55But, okay,
27:56I want to take final comments from all of you.
27:58I'll begin with Rajdeep,
28:00because he's vociferously shaking his head
28:02and wanting to come in.
28:03You don't quite agree with Mr. Chawla, Rajdeep.
28:05I respect Mr. Chawla's political knowledge,
28:08but I think he's got that wrong.
28:10Nobody, A, first said BJP is finished.
28:13But, B, they said,
28:14you know,
28:14to say that this was because BJP put up a weak candidate,
28:17therefore Prashant as one is wrong.
28:19This is the seat of the BJP sitting national president,
28:22who parked himself in the constituency.
28:24This is a seat where the chief minister
28:26was doing roadshow after roadshow.
28:28This is a clear questioning of the existing leadership of the BJP in Bihar.
28:34I've made the distinction.
28:36This is not about Narendra Modi and what's happening at the center.
28:39This is much more about what is happening in Bihar.
28:42Nitish Kumar was seen as a credible face of Bihar,
28:45like it or not.
28:47Samrat Chaudhary does not carry the same equity
28:49with the BJP voters,
28:51particularly the BJP upper caste voters.
28:53I think that has to be recognized.
28:54In a constituency with more than 50% upper caste,
28:57if you lose by such a big margin in six months,
29:00to only blame it on the local candidate,
29:01I think is clearly not the reason.
29:04The fact is the BJP grew complacent.
29:07The fact is the BJP took the voter for granted.
29:10I know BJP leaders till yesterday who say,
29:12haan, woa fight dee ra hai,
29:12lekin hum log aad na sazar se niklaenge.
29:14On what basis?
29:16The truth of the matter is,
29:17the manner in which they changed the candidate
29:19also at the last moment.
29:20There was confusion,
29:21there was complacency,
29:22and there was a questioning
29:24of the current leadership of the BJP in Bihar.
29:27And I maintain,
29:28there are several BJP chief ministers today
29:31who are letting down the so-called double engine.
29:35What's happened in Dathya?
29:37Mohan Yadav was campaigning there relentlessly.
29:40And you did not give the seat to Narutha Mishra.
29:43His supporters went on the...
29:44The BJP is making the same mistakes
29:46that the Congress made of...
29:48You cannot sit in Delhi and run states anymore.
29:51Okay, I have only X amount of time.
29:53Okay, Mr. Chavala,
29:54you want to come in for your rebuttal?
29:55Final comment, sir.
29:56Make your point.
29:58Of course I have to come in
29:59because the way Rajeev is also decided,
30:02okay, Prashant Shohar is very...
30:03but he wrote,
30:04he created such a history.
30:06I am again coming back to saying to him
30:07that candidate was definitely by victory
30:09as partially because,
30:1180% is because of the candidate.
30:12You are putting in terms of how it is happening.
30:15Prashant Shohar is a nationally known figure.
30:18The question is,
30:18you are talking about,
30:19and I said in the beginning,
30:20Samrath Chaudhary is a liability there.
30:22Yes.
30:23Because of Samrath Chaudhary,
30:24there must have been some anti-vote,
30:26but Samrath Chaudhary himself won votes
30:28by massive majority.
30:29He got the mandate of the people.
30:31How do you explain that?
30:33Sir, that was when the BJP got more than...
30:35That was when the BJP got 90% of the seats,
30:37and Niti Ishkumar got the best.
30:39There is no Niti Ishkumar now.
30:41There is no Niti Ishkumar, sir, anymore.
30:43I did not interrupt you.
30:44There is now people are looking at Samrath Chaudhary
30:46This is turning out to be a democratic newsroom.
30:48Rajdeep, I did not interrupt you.
30:48I'm fed it as.
30:49Okay, he did not interrupt you.
30:50I did not interrupt you.
30:51Yes, sir, I agree.
30:52I'm moderating this.
30:53Either you stop him.
30:54Yes, please stop it, Rajdeep, sir.
30:56Okay, okay.
30:57Mr. Chabla, go ahead.
30:57No, he should not interrupt me.
30:58Rajdeep, please.
30:59Okay, Mr. Chabla.
31:00He should not interrupt me.
31:01He won't interrupt you, sir.
31:02I have been governing politics for 45 years.
31:04I am making my point of view.
31:06I am making my point.
31:07I am not attacking any personally.
31:08But I say, this is my point of view.
31:10The question is, if some other candidate would have been put there.
31:12Which is all wrong.
31:12But Samrath Chaudhary, I know, is a good PR person.
31:14I'll come to you, ma'am.
31:15I won't interrupt you.
31:16Please let him give him.
31:17I'll come to you.
31:17Let me speak, yeah.
31:18Yes, sir, please make your point.
31:20Let me speak, yeah.
31:22You introduce him.
31:23Everybody introduce him 10 times in a year.
31:25Same time, he repeats the same thing.
31:27I'm not saying he's not good.
31:29I'm saying he was a better candidate than the candidate fighting there.
31:32He had a better strategy.
31:33He had a better message.
31:35He had a better methodology.
31:37But his victory is not because he has, there is a BJP, anti-India combination, BJP vote that much.
31:43Yes, there is a anti-Samrath Chaudhary there happening.
31:46Candidate was bad.
31:47There is some optics were bad there.
31:50But Prashant Kishore was one, it will make it.
31:52He's a one member in the assembly.
31:54Out of 243, he'll get one minute to speak.
31:57You get time to speak only according to what the number of people you've got.
32:01Okay, sir.
32:01He's making the big promises.
32:03He says, yes, he's a good orator.
32:04Fair point, sir.
32:05Allow me to bring in.
32:06I have an extra amount of time.
32:06But you can't write off the BJP.
32:08Fair point, sir.
32:09On that note, I want to bring in Manisha Priyam and then Raj Singh Appa for final comments.
32:12Go ahead, Ms. Priyam.
32:13Make your point.
32:23This constituency, more than any other constituency, has nursed the politics of the BJP for the last three decades.
32:32When the BJP was nowhere on the map of Bihar.
32:35Remember, the BJP and RSS politics happened in jargon, not in the northern and southern parts of Bihar, but this
32:42constituency.
32:43And that's why Ravi Shankar Prasad said what he did.
32:45Now, look at the fact that Gandhi Maidan, Ashok Rajpad, Mahindru Ghad, banks of the Ganges, all the important landmarks
32:54that is today the pride of the Bihari are within this constituency.
32:58This constituency means a lot to Bihar and if there has been any signaling of political voice ever in Bihar,
33:05whether it was Jai Prakash Narayan or it was Karpuri Thakur and that huge rally in Gandhi Maidan where Ritish
33:11was offered open appointment, all the unemployed were given open appointments by Karpuri.
33:17It is this place, Gandhi Maidan dictating the turn of politics.
33:21And remember, this land matters more than others.
33:25Some constituencies are more important than others.
33:28And Nitin Naveen's father's politics, very critical to the BJP.
33:32Today, that letdown is very important to note and therefore not another ordinary election where a candidate lost just because
33:40he or she was weak and something else happened.
33:43Today, definitely a question mark on Samrat's inability to see what was going wrong.
33:48Final comments, Mr. Chingap, I need to move on to another story.
33:52Sure, I understand.
33:53It was not an RSS constituency.
33:55It was not an RSS constituency.
33:56May I speak, Prabhu, I think you had your say.
33:58Let me justโฆ
33:58It was Sina's constituency.
34:00Fine, fine.
34:01Let me just make a few larger points which I think we willโฆ
34:05One, I think I disagree with Prabhu.
34:08I believe that this is no more politics as usual.
34:13This is, in many senses, an inflection point, a seminal change that is happening.
34:18And we have to see that every singleโฆ
34:21Just not the BJP.
34:22Every single party has to recalibrate its strategy.
34:27It cannot take voters for granted anymore.
34:30As Marisha Priyan said, this was a done deal for the BJP.
34:33It looked like that from the beginning.
34:35And, you know, they cantered in thinking that they'll win, but it hasn't happened.
34:39And we are seeing those signs across.
34:42So, you cannot just say that the Gen Z and what happened in Jantar Mantra was a flash in the
34:47pan.
34:47I think we are seeing, as I said, there is a sequencing that is happening where it shows that youth
34:52unrest.
34:53And certainly, a lot of dissatisfaction is beginning to show.
34:56And that is gaining a lot of traction.
34:57So, the BJP has to be careful because it rules across so many states, particularly at the center.
35:03They will have to recalibrate.
35:04They will have to take into account they lost one of their bastions.
35:07And they had to really step back in Delhi.
35:11And if you saw what happened in Tamil Nadu, every party that was the usual party has to take cognizance
35:18of these developments.
35:19Well, I really appreciate all four of you for taking the time out and joining us.
35:23Thank you, Mr. Chawla, Ms. Priyan and Mr. Chingapai.
35:26It's a pleasure to have three very distinct point of views and also Rajdeep, who was there with us.
35:30I want to quickly move on to the other story.
35:31And that is emanating where Jantar Mantar is reverberating all the way in Jharkhand.
35:37After Jantar Mantar agitation over paper leaks and exam reforms, hundreds and thousands of students have taken to the streets
35:42of Ranchi,
35:43alleging corruption in recruitment exams and demanding sweeping reforms.
35:48Here's more.
36:02Delhi's student uprising has found its echo in Ranchi.
36:06After Jantar Mantar, the battle over jobs, paper leaks and recruitment has now reached Jharkhand.
36:13Jhepal Singh Munda Stadium has turned into the epicenter of a growing youth movement.
36:19Tricolors flutter and students have launched an indefinite Satyagray,
36:25alleging deep-rooted corruption in Jharkhand's recruitment system.
36:31The students are protesting over alleged paper leaks in State Public Service Commission and Staff Selection Commission exams,
36:39evaluation errors and OMR discrepancies,
36:43years of delayed recruitment examinations,
36:46irregularities in the recruitment process,
36:49repeated exam delays
36:50and rising unemployment.
37:19J-SA, J-P-A-C,
37:29The face of the movement is Devendranath Mato.
37:34Mirroring Sonam Vangchuk's hunger strike during the Jantanmantar agitation,
37:38Mato has now begun an indefinite fast,
37:42vowing to continue until the students' demands are heard.
38:11The demands are clear.
38:13CBI and ED probe into recruitment scams,
38:17cancelled tainted exams and results,
38:19fresh, fair and transparent examinations,
38:23time-bound recruitment calendar,
38:26action against paper leak culprits,
38:29leak-proof exam and recruitment system,
38:32transparent JBSC and JSSC recruitment.
38:37The parallels with Delhi are impossible to miss.
38:41Protesters say the Jantanmantar movement inspired them to launch this fight.
38:45They claim the Jantanmantar government has yet to engage with them.
38:51The agitation has now acquired a political edge.
38:55Kokhrat Janta party founder Abhiji Deepke spoke to the protesters and extended support to their movement.
39:17The BJP, meanwhile, has stepped up its attack.
39:41The spark that ignited Jantanmantar has now reached Ranchi.
39:47And with the movement gathering momentum and politics escalating,
39:51the pressure on the Himant-Soreen government is only mounting.
39:55With Satyajit Kumar, Bureau Report, India Today.
40:02Viyoz, I'm going to bring in Ashutosh Ranka, spokesperson, Kokhrat Janta Party.
40:07Thank you for joining us, Ashutosh, this evening.
40:09I want to ask you one uncomfortable question that many are saying,
40:13that where is the Kokhrat Janta Party in Jharkhand?
40:16You know, one phone call doesn't really mean support.
40:20You spearheaded this agitation.
40:21Students are there.
40:22Why isn't any of your representatives in Jharkhand today?
40:26No, I think you already just showed the video where Deepke and I were talking to the protesting students.
40:33And the person who was there coordinating is a CJP member.
40:38So our team is already there.
40:39They are trying, they are doing whatever, you know, support is required from the side of the protesting students.
40:44And we'll continue to provide all the kinds of necessary support as and when the students demand.
40:51I think Deepke has also made it very clear.
40:53We have made it clear twice, he's suffering from typhoid, I had heavy fever, Saurav has been juggling day in,
40:59day out on the legal cases.
41:02The first available opportunity will, of course, be in Jharkhand.
41:05But again, here, PT, the important question has, should be, is that why is the Jharkhand government not responding to
41:12the demands of the students?
41:13That's the question what people should be asking.
41:16We are not the ones in power.
41:18We are not the ones forming the government there.
41:19We are not the ones against whom the protest is happening.
41:23The protest is happening on serious issues around paper leaks, around issues in JPSC and the state board.
41:30And that's exactly what the question should be, that why the government, after 10 days of indefinite sit-in protest,
41:35has not responded to the demands of the students.
41:38Ashutosh, the BJP says that the CJP, which is your outfit, your pressure group, is not serious enough of the
41:46Jharkhand protest, because it's not against the BJP.
41:49It is against Himan Surain, who technically on paper is part of the India Alliance.
41:53Therefore, the kind of, you know, push that should have come from the CJP in favor of this movement is
42:00not coming.
42:01No, I like BJP's obsession with CJP.
42:04Two-month-old movement has really captured the imagination of the people of this country.
42:10So, I like how obsessed they are with the CJP, but I am pretty sure they know that we are
42:16not the ones in government there.
42:17They should question the government, and rightly so, if they are in opposition in that particular state.
42:23Like them, we are also questioning the Jharkhand government on its inaction, and we'll continue to stand with the students.
42:30And if BJP is truly fighting for the cause of the students, it should remain focused on the cause, on
42:36the demands, and not really continue to be obsessed about CJP.
42:41You said at the first available opportunity, Ashutosh, because the faces of CJP, you said you have volunteers there, and,
42:48you know, the volunteers were the ones who are coordinating your efforts in Jharkhand.
42:53But the faces of CJP, like we know it, is Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, the likes of you.
43:01When do we see representation on ground?
43:04The march is on the 6th.
43:05Very soon, Piti.
43:06As I said, I am really surprised, like, why is there so much attention on why is Dipke not there
43:15or why am I not there?
43:17When, after a two-month-old movement that went on continuously at Jhanta Mantar, all of us have been very
43:24visibly unwell after that, after that protest ended.
43:28I think, and we'll do that, we'll do that.
43:31We understand the kind of expectations people have from us.
43:34True, because there are expectations.
43:36No, of course, I understand, I understand it.
43:38The first available opportunity, we, all of us got on a call, in very detailed discussion, we understood what was
43:46the crux of the problem,
43:46what were students trying to demand, and their demands are quite fair and legitimate.
43:51So, we, of course, stand with the students, we'll go there as and when needed, and in a lot of
43:59ways, it's also so heartening to see the students of this country standing up for themselves.
44:04Not just in Jhakan, but all over the country, as we are seeing, people are standing up for, you know,
44:11fixing their schools, their colleges, for fighting against the education system.
44:15So, it's heartening in a lot of ways.
44:17But again, I think the question should not be, the question more than when is Deepke going to be there
44:25or when am I going to be there?
44:26The question is why is still there a need for a sit-in protest?
44:29Why do students need to sit in for 10, 12, 15 days for the government to act?
44:35The governments all across the country, not just the central government, not just, you know, BJP government, but governments all
44:41across the country really need to understand the sentiment right now.
44:45The youth is done with rotten education system.
44:47The youth is done with the problem of paper leaks.
44:50And you have to be responsive now.
44:52You cannot just keep ignoring the students like you have done in the past.
44:55And this goes for all the governments, all the political parties.
44:58You have to be responsive, you have to act, and you have to fix your systems.
45:02The students are not going to stay silent anymore.
45:04And we as CJP will always stand behind them.
45:07We'll provide all forms of possible support.
45:11And we will be there on the ground as well.
45:14But we are very proud of the students in Jharkand who right now are sitting in there peacefully and are
45:20fighting for their rights.
45:22All right, Ashutosh, thank you for taking the time out and joining us.
45:25I hope you get better soon.
45:27I want to now connect directly to my colleague Satyajit, who is there with the students who've been on a
45:32sit-in protest.
45:34Satyajit, over to you.
45:36What are the students who are sitting there, what are the students who are sitting there?
45:52What are the students who are sitting there, what are the students who are sitting there?
46:38What are the students who are sitting there?
47:06This is the second day of his indefinite
47:09its strike and right now he is speaking very slowly but the joes are in the tent is really
47:17high you can see how the protesters are keeping themselves in a high spirit you can see they
47:26are they are beating the drums you can see a portrait of Sibu Soren and they are singing
47:35a local local hymen I'll cut across to them
47:43I'll cut across to them
47:46I'll cut across to them
47:49I'll cut across to them
48:05so they are talking about their rights and they said that they don't want to buzz until the government considers
48:22their demand and it is fulfilled they want a complete reform
48:30if you can try and get us more voices from the ground because the March is on the 6th try
48:37and you know speak to more people
48:38of course
48:43how about
48:48how about
48:50your car
48:52or
48:52students
48:59foreign
49:11foreign
49:24foreign
50:03foreign
50:06foreign
50:08foreign
50:08foreign
50:08foreign
50:13foreign
50:16foreign
50:18foreign
50:18foreign
50:18foreign
50:26foreign
50:47foreign
50:49foreign
50:49foreign
50:50foreign
50:52foreign
50:54foreign
51:03foreign
51:04foreign
51:05foreign
51:06foreign
51:11foreign
51:14foreign
51:21foreign
51:25foreign
51:27foreign
51:27foreign
51:48you can see they are all set for a long agitation and for an open
51:56showdown with the Heman government if their demands are not conceded, if the steps are
52:03not taken and initiatives are not taken for a complete reform in JPSC and JSSC and until
52:12they are not going to sleep, they said, until they are able to wake up the government completely.
52:20Satyajit, thank you for joining us from the protest site. My colleague Satyajit, who has
52:24been reporting through the course of the day at the protest site in Ranchi, we are going
52:29to keep a keen eye on all developments coming in from there. With that, I am going to head
52:36into a quick break. On the other side is my colleague Gaurav Samad.
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