Debutant Prashant Kishor takes early lead in Bankipur bypoll
What's the story
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor is leading in the Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar. After the first round of counting, he has a lead of 862 votes over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha. According to official figures released by the Election Commission, Kishor has secured 2,225 votes while Sinha has polled 1,363 votes. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Rekha Gupta is trailing with 505 votes.
Election significance
Bankipur bypoll a significant political event for Kishor
The Bankipur bypoll is a significant political event for Kishor, who is making his direct electoral debut.
The bypoll was necessitated after BJP leader Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP had initially nominated Abhishek Kumar Sinha but he pulled out a day after filing nomination papers, citing "family reasons." The party then named youth wing leader Sinha as its candidate.
The BJP has retained the constituency since 1995.
Campaign approach
JSP contested all seats in 2025 Bihar Assembly elections
Kishor had earlier said he was not looking for a "safe seat" and wanted to contest from Bankipur to prove that Bihar's voters should vote beyond caste and religion.
The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), which Kishor founded on October 2, 2024, had contested all seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections but failed to win any.
The Bankipur candidate had gotten less than 5% of the vote share.
Political landscape
Bankipur a BJP stronghold since 2008
Bankipur has been a BJP stronghold since the constituency was formed after the 2008 delimitation.
Nabin represented the seat for five consecutive terms before moving to Rajya Sabha.
His father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha, had earlier represented Patna West constituency.
The BJP had deployed around 40 star campaigners along with over 1,000 workers from across Bihar for this bypoll.