Patna, July 31: The Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar recorded a modest 34.24 per cent voter turnout on Thursday, more than seven percentage points lower than the 41.45 per cent polling registered in the 2025 Assembly election, as Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor made his electoral debut in a high-stakes contest against the BJP in one of the state’s politically significant constituencies.
The bypoll, necessitated after Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha, witnessed a triangular contest among 26 candidates, with BJP nominee Neeraj Kumar Sinha, RJD candidate Rekha Gupta, and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor emerging as the principal contenders. The votes will be counted on August 3.
Polling remained largely peaceful but was marked by a bitter exchange of allegations between the BJP and Jan Suraaj over alleged electoral malpractices.
Prashant Kishor alleged that police had detained more than 16 Jan Suraaj workers without justification and accused the administration of acting under political pressure.
“More than 16 Jan Suraaj workers were detained by the police without specifying any reason,” Kishor alleged.
He further claimed, “The police are acting as an extension of a political party and trying to help the BJP.”
The Patna Police rejected the allegations, maintaining that no voter was prevented from exercising the franchise and that preventive detentions were carried out in accordance with Election Commission guidelines during the mandatory 48-hour silence period.
City SP (Central) Mamta Kalyani said, “Everyone has the right to vote. No one is being obstructed. We are continuously appealing to people to vote, but not to gather in groups as it violates election protocols.”
The BJP, in turn, accused Jan Suraaj of attempting to use fake voters and sought strict verification of voter identities by election authorities.
“The BJP has requested Election Commission officials to verify voter identities. Jan Suraaj’s strategy of using fake voters will not work,” BJP leader Mritunjay Tiwari said.
Union Minister Lalan Singh dismissed Kishor’s allegations, saying, “In a democracy, everyone is free to act upon their will, and there is a rule of law in Bihar. Prashant Kishor must speak based on facts.”
Minor clashes between BJP and Jan Suraaj workers were reported in the Shrikrishnapuri area, but police quickly restored order.
To ensure free and fair polling, the district administration deployed eight Super Zonal Magistrates, 16 Zonal Magistrates, 42 Sector Magistrates, along with additional security personnel in sensitive areas. Election officials were also directed to verify suspicious voter identity cards using the Election Commission’s QR code-based application and register FIRs in cases involving fake IDs.
Several senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister Lalan Singh, Ravishankar Prasad, Ramkripal Yadav, and C.P. Thakur, cast their votes and expressed confidence of retaining the seat.
“I will focus on the development of Bankipur. A lot of development work has already taken place under the NDA government,” BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha said.
Senior BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad said, “People here have a long-standing association with the BJP because of the development works carried out by the NDA governments.”
RJD candidate Rekha Gupta, meanwhile, expressed optimism about the outcome.
“I am confident of victory with the support of the people, who are determined for change,” she said, while also alleging that BJP polling agents attempted to influence voters.
The by-election is being closely watched as a key political test for Prashant Kishor’s newly formed Jan Suraaj Party and a measure of the BJP’s continuing influence in one of its traditional urban strongholds in Bihar.
