Prashant Kishor to make Bihar poll debut, will contest Bankipur bypoll

Prashant Kishor will contest the Bankipur Assembly bypoll after his party announced his candidature in Patna. He has framed the contest as a referendum on the BJP-led Bihar government under Samrat Choudhary.

In Short

• Jan Suraaj Party's core committee announced Kishor's candidature
• Bankipur seat vacant after Nitin Nabin resigned post Rajya Sabha win
• Polling on July 30, BJP and opposition yet to announce candidates

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor will contest the upcoming by-election from Bihar's Bankipur Assembly constituency, describing the contest as a "referendum" on the popularity of the BJP-led government in the state.

Jan Suraaj Party's Bihar president Manoj Bharti announced Kishor's candidature for the Bankipur Assembly bypoll at a press conference in Patna. The formal decision was taken at a meeting of the party's core committee shortly after the Election Commission announced the bypoll schedule last week.

The Bankipur seat fell vacant after BJP president Nitin Nabin resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

Addressing the press conference, Kishor appealed to voters to support him and expressed confidence in representing the constituency.

"The people of Bankipur are the richest and the most educated in Bihar. Let them vote for the best. If they feel they can repose their trust in me, I urge them to vote for me... Even as the lone MLA of my party, I shall outweigh the remaining 242 ones in the assembly," he said.

The 48-year-old Jan Suraaj founder also renewed his attack on the BJP-led government, claiming that BJP leader Samrat Choudhary became chief minister without a direct public mandate.

He said the NDA had fought the 2025 Bihar Assembly election under JD(U) president Nitish Kumar's leadership, before Kumar stepped down a couple of months ago.

"The upcoming bypoll is going to be a referendum on the working of the two-month-old government of Samrat Choudhary. If the BJP wins, I will have no hesitation in conceding that they continue to enjoy public support. If we win, it shall be for them to read the writing on the wall," Kishor said.

Kishor had been indicating for the past few weeks that he was willing to contest the Bankipur bypoll before making the formal announcement on Sunday.

The filing of nomination papers will begin on Monday and continue until July 13. Polling will take place on July 30, while counting of votes is scheduled for August 3.

The BJP, which has held the Bankipur seat since the 1990s, is yet to announce its candidate. The opposition alliance of the RJD, Congress and Left parties has also not declared its nominee.

Meanwhile, former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who floated the Janshakti Janata Dal after being expelled from the RJD by his father Lalu Prasad, has fielded social activist Veena Manvi as the party's candidate for the by-election.

- Ends
With inputs from Sujit Kumar