Bankipur Byelection: BJP Battles JSP and RJD as Campaign Ends, Prashant Kishor Eyes Debut Win
Campaigning for the July 30 Bankipur Assembly byelection in Bihar concluded on Tuesday, with candidates making final appeals to voters. The seat was vacated by BJP national president Nitin Nabin after his election to the Rajya Sabha in April.
The BJP is striving to retain the seat and has fielded 32-year-old youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha. The bypoll marks the electoral debut of Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), which failed to secure any seat in the previous Assembly election. The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has nominated Rekha Kumari, who was the runner-up in the last election, losing to Mr. Nabin by over 50,000 votes. RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav joined the campaign only on Monday.
Although 25 candidates are in the contest, the primary fight is between the BJP and the JSP. The Bankipur constituency has nearly four lakh voters. The Kayasth and Yadav communities together account for about 25% of the electorate. Muslims and Chandravanshis each constitute nearly 20% of voters. Other communities—Vaishya, Dalit, Bhumihar, Rajput, Brahmin, Kurmi, and Kushwaha—each make up between 3% and 8% of the electorate.
Key voter concerns include the NEET paper leak controversy and alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple. Sanjay Gupta, a trader from Meethapur, said at the BJP candidate’s roadshow, “We are not looking at caste; for us, the candidate is more important.”
Prashant Kishor addressed public meetings in Peermuhani, Sabzibagh, and Jai Prakash Nagar. Speaking at Peermuhani, he urged voters to “think about the future of your children” when casting their votes. Mr. Nabin will be present in Patna on voting day, though he is not a voter of Bankipur but of the Digha Assembly constituency. Results will be declared on August 3.
