Historic Ninth Victory for BJP's Prem Kumar in Gaya Town
In a remarkable political achievement, outgoing cooperative minister Prem Kumar secured the Gaya Town assembly seat for an unprecedented ninth time on Friday. The Bharatiya Janata Party candidate defeated his Congress rival Akhauri Onkar Nath by a substantial margin of 26,423 votes, proving political analysts wrong who had predicted a tightly contested battle for this constituency.
Defying Predictions and Setting Records
Contesting on a BJP ticket, Prem Kumar demonstrated his enduring popularity among voters despite forecasts of a close fight. The leader, who hails from an economically backward class (EBC) community and modest beginnings, has maintained his grounded approach despite consecutive electoral successes.
With this latest victory, Prem Kumar now shares the distinguished record with his cabinet colleague Bijendra Yadav, who also secured his ninth consecutive win from the Supaul seat on a JD(U) ticket. Beyond matching this electoral feat, both ministers share another uncommon characteristic in Bihar's political landscape known for frequent party switching among senior leaders - neither has ever changed political allegiance.
Political Loyalty and Minority Support
Prem Kumar's political steadfastness was tested early in his career when, just a few years after his initial victory, then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad attempted to recruit him to the Rashtriya Janata Dal to advance Mandal brand politics. While a dozen BJP legislators, including Inder Singh Namdhari who later became the first speaker of Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha, split from the BJP legislative party, Prem remained loyal to the saffron party.
Similarly, Bijendra Yadav, who reportedly leads the Mandal faction within JD(U) while the Mandir faction is headed by Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh, also resisted multiple approaches to join Lalu's side. Bijendra is credited with playing a crucial role in forming alliances between RJD and JD(U) in both 2015 and 2022.
Interestingly, Prem Kumar enjoys significant respect among minority communities in his constituency. Muslim voters constitute approximately 20% of the electorate in Gaya Town, and while they may not typically vote for him, community leaders acknowledge he has never fueled communal tensions in the area, unlike some other BJP politicians.
The clear contrast in political longevity is evident when comparing Prem Kumar's sustained success with former speaker Nand Kishore Yadav, who had seven consecutive wins before the 2025 elections but saw his career potentially cut short after being denied a ticket to contest the Patna Sahib seat.
Another consistent performer is Narindra Narayan Yadav, contesting from Alamnagar on a JD(U) ticket, who has maintained his winning streak since 1995 without suffering any electoral defeats.
