Prashant Kishor meets Sunetra Pawar days after Bankipur bypoll win. Why? NCP reveals reason

NCP spokesperson said Kishor, who is advising the party on organisational rebuilding, met Sunetra Pawar, her MP son Parth Pawar on Thursday

Three days after opening Jan Suraaj's electoral account with a victory in the Bankipur assembly bypoll, party founder Prashant Kishor travelled to Mumbai to meet Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar.

The meeting focused on strengthening the NCP's organisation and ensuring that government development programmes reach the grassroots, party spokesperson Suraj Chavan told PTI.

Chavan said Kishor, who is advising the party on organisational rebuilding, attended the meeting along with Sunetra Pawar, her MP son Parth Pawar and senior NCP leaders.

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This was the second meeting between Kishor and Sunetra Pawar since the death of her husband and then Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati in January this year.

Following their first meeting a few months ago, Parth Pawar had said that Kishor was known to the family.

Kishor recently pulled off a major upset in Bihar by winning the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, defeating the BJP in one of its strongest bastions. The bypoll was necessitated after sitting MLA Nitin Nabin, who also served as the BJP's Bihar president, vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha. The BJP had fielded youth leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha, whom Kishor defeated in his electoral debut.

Kishore targets Samrat after winning Bankipur

After his victory in the Bankipur bypoll, Kishor said the result was a clear message from Bihar's voters to the BJP and NDA leadership to replace Samrat Choudhary as chief minister.

Kishor said the people wanted the BJP to appoint “a better person” as chief minister and shift the political discourse “from crime and caste to education, employment and migration”.

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The bypoll result was a significant setback for the BJP, which had held the urban constituency continuously since 1995.

Kishor questioned how the BJP lost a seat that Nabin had won by a margin of more than 51,000 votes in the Assembly elections last November. He argued that nothing had changed in Bankipur except the BJP's leadership in Bihar, which, according to him, had been rejected by voters.

Shubham Pandey works as Chief Content Producer at the Hindustan Times online desk, where he writes news articles, explainers, and features with a focus on audience engagement, traffic growth, and real-time storytelling. With over a decade of experience across journalism, digital newsrooms, and strategic communications, he brings a strong understanding of online journalism, particularly in leveraging SEO, search trends, and live blogs to drive sustained reader engagement. Previously, he led the sports team at Zee News English, strengthening editorial operations while delivering measurable growth in readership. His reporting experience includes assignments with Firstpost, where he covered sports with a strong narrative focus. Shubham has worked across both startups and large media organisations, including building a sports website from the ground up in a startup environment—demonstrating versatility and leadership. His stint as Senior Account Manager at Edelman India further expanded his expertise in strategic communications, brand storytelling, and reputation management. Across roles, he specialises in content planning, writing, and crafting credible narratives for diverse audiences. He has collaborated with former international cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara, Nick Knight, and Danny Morrison to create compelling, high-impact sports content, blending editorial depth with mass appeal. When he is not writing news or watching sports, he enjoys exploring films from around the world.Read More