The upcoming bypoll for the Bankipur assembly seat in Patna has become the biggest talking point in Bihar politics. According to sources within the Jan Suraaj party, its founder Prashant Kishor may himself contest from this seat, with a formal announcement expected in the coming days.
Decision to follow core committee meeting on July 5
Jan Suraaj state president Manoj Bharti said barely 25 to 26 days remain before the Bankipur bypoll. He said the party has already decided to field a strong candidate for the contest, and this will be finalised at a core committee meeting on July 5. Bharti added that over the past month, the party has held continuous conversations with people in Bankipur and interacted with them directly. Based on these interactions, the party believes residents of Bankipur are unhappy with the current BJP government.
Locals want Prashant Kishor himself in the fray
Bharti said local people feel it has become necessary to send a clear signal to the BJP and the NDA government that they are not satisfied with its functioning. In line with this, voters in Bankipur are demanding that Jan Suraaj field its own founder, Prashant Kishor, as the candidate. He said senior party leaders and workers are also increasingly of the view that Prashant Kishor should be the party's candidate for this bypoll. However, the final and official call on this will only come after discussions in the core committee on July 5.
Seat fell vacant after Nitin Nabin's resignation, voting on July 30
In last year's Bihar assembly elections, Prashant Kishor's party had fielded candidates on every seat in the state. Kishor himself had shortlisted two seats to contest from, but at the last moment chose to only campaign for the party instead of contesting. The Bankipur seat has now fallen vacant following the resignation of BJP president Nitin Nabin, necessitating this bypoll. Voting on the seat will take place on July 30. Jan Suraaj says there is visible anger among people against the Samrat Chaudhary government, and voters want Prashant Kishor present in the assembly to raise their issues directly. This is why the party is seriously considering fielding him from Bankipur.
Kishor's first-ever election contest
Notably, if Prashant Kishor contests from Bankipur, it will mark his first ever electoral contest. Voting for the seat will be held on July 30, while results will be declared on August 3. The Bankipur assembly seat has long been considered a BJP stronghold, with the party winning it five times in a row. If Kishor does contest from here, the bypoll could turn into a direct challenge to BJP inside its own bastion.
