Bihar's political temperature has spiked over the Bankipur assembly bypoll after a Bharatiya Janata Party delegation walked into the Election Commission's office on Tuesday to file a formal complaint against Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj and the party's candidate from Bankipur. The party has gone a step further, demanding that the Enforcement Directorate, or ED, be brought in to investigate the entire affair, turning what began as an electoral dispute into a matter for India's financial crime watchdog.
Who carried the complaint to the Election Commission
The BJP delegation included former Union minister Shahnawaz Hussain, minister Mithilesh Tiwari, MLA Jeevesh Mishra, Janak Ram and several other party leaders. After meeting Election Commission officials, they alleged that Prashant Kishor is bypassing campaign spending rules and pouring crores of rupees into social media promotion. Speaking to reporters afterward, the leaders framed it as more than a code of conduct violation, calling it a question about the fairness of the entire electoral process.
A Rs 40 lakh cap, but an alleged crore-rupee spend
The BJP leaders argued before the Election Commission that any candidate contesting an assembly bypoll can legally spend no more than Rs 40 lakh, yet Prashant Kishor is allegedly spending far beyond that limit, running into crores, on his social media campaign. The party claims this is being achieved through a large network of fake social media accounts and paid influencers. According to the leaders, each video is allegedly being paid for at rates between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000, an arrangement they say is designed to tilt the electoral atmosphere in his favour.
Two companies, one shared address
The BJP named two companies, Simple Sense Analytics Private Limited and News Lighthouse, as the entities allegedly running this social media operation. The party claims both companies share a registered address inside a single premises in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, and that the same address is also registered to Vedhas Ventures Private Limited, a company belonging to Prashant Kishor's wife. The leaders alleged that large sums for the campaign are being routed through these companies. No investigating agency has yet made public any official report confirming these claims, meaning the allegations currently rest solely on the BJP's own submission.
Accounts traced to London and Vasant Kunj
Education minister Mithilesh Tiwari went further, alleging that several social media accounts linked to Prashant Kishor's campaign are being operated from outside the country. He claimed some accounts show their location as London, while some activity is alleged to be run out of Vasant Kunj in Delhi. Mithilesh Tiwari said these foreign-located accounts, along with an alleged bot network, are being used in an attempt to sway voters' thinking ahead of the bypoll.
What happens next, ED demand now on the table
The BJP delegation has told the Election Commission that the entire matter needs a thorough probe, and that the Enforcement Directorate should be brought in if required. The party says the source of the crores of rupees allegedly being spent on the campaign must be traced. So far, neither the Election Commission nor Prashant Kishor or Jan Suraaj has issued any official response to these allegations, but the dispute has already added fresh heat to the political atmosphere ahead of the Bankipur bypoll.
