Patna, Aug 4: Janata Dal (United) president and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament House on Tuesday, a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party suffered a defeat in the Bankipur Assembly by-election.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, and JD(U) Working President Sanjay Jha were present during the meeting.Nitish Kumar described the interaction as a courtesy call. However, the timing of the meeting drew political attention as it followed the BJP’s defeat in Bankipur, a constituency long considered a stronghold of the party.
Reports citing sources said the Bankipur by-election result was among the issues discussed during the meeting. However, there was no official confirmation from the BJP or the JD(U) regarding the details of the discussions.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor won the Bankipur by-election by a margin of more than 19,000 votes, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha.According to the reported election figures, Kishor secured 64,151 votes, while Sinha received 44,827 votes. Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Rekha Gupta finished third with 14,273 votes.
Polling for the by-election was held on July 30, while the votes were counted on August 3. Kishor maintained a lead during the counting process and registered a decisive victory.The Bankipur seat became vacant after former BJP MLA Nitin Nabin resigned from the Bihar Assembly in March. Nabin had represented the constituency for five consecutive terms and later became the BJP’s national president before being elected to the Rajya Sabha.
The National Democratic Alliance conducted a joint campaign in support of BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha. Leaders from the BJP, JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), along with several ministers, MPs and MLAs, participated in the campaign.
Nitish Kumar had also issued a video appeal asking voters to support the BJP candidate. The video later triggered a political dispute after Prashant Kishor alleged that it had been created using artificial intelligence.
JD(U) leaders rejected the allegation and reportedly approached the police seeking action.The Bankipur result is being closely watched ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, with the Jan Suraaj Party’s victory seen as a significant development in a constituency previously regarded as a BJP stronghold.
