Prashant Kishor enters poll fray from Bankipur, the BJP bastion once held by Nitin Nabin
In the 2025 election, Nitin Nabin defeated RJD's Rekha Kumari by more than 51,000 votes, while Jan Suraaj candidate Vandana Kumari finished third with 7,717 votes
- Jul 5, 2026,
- Updated Jul 5, 2026 2:53 PM IST
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor will contest the upcoming Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, marking his first electoral contest since entering active politics.
The Election Commission has scheduled the Bankipur bypoll for July 30 after the seat fell vacant.
High-profile urban seat
The Bankipur Assembly constituency is located in Patna district and falls under the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency.
Considered one of the BJP's traditional strongholds, the urban constituency has been represented by the BJP's Nitin Nabin, who won the seat for a fourth consecutive term in the 2025 Assembly election before it fell vacant. He won from here in 2010, 2012, 2020, and 2025.
In the 2025 election, Nitin Nabin defeated RJD's Rekha Kumari by more than 51,000 votes, while Jan Suraaj candidate Vandana Kumari finished third with 7,717 votes.
This time, the BJP has fielded Neel Ratan Ghosh from Bankipur.
The seat fell vacant after Nabin resigned from the seat after being appointed as the BJP's National President.
A crucial test for Jan Suraaj
The bypoll will be closely watched as it marks Kishor's electoral debut after years as a political strategist and years after launching Jan Suraaj as a political party.
The contest also comes after Jan Suraaj unsuccessfully fought its first full Bihar Assembly election in 2025. The party contested all 243 seats, but could not win any.
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor will contest the upcoming Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, marking his first electoral contest since entering active politics.
The Election Commission has scheduled the Bankipur bypoll for July 30 after the seat fell vacant.
High-profile urban seat
The Bankipur Assembly constituency is located in Patna district and falls under the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency.
Considered one of the BJP's traditional strongholds, the urban constituency has been represented by the BJP's Nitin Nabin, who won the seat for a fourth consecutive term in the 2025 Assembly election before it fell vacant. He won from here in 2010, 2012, 2020, and 2025.
In the 2025 election, Nitin Nabin defeated RJD's Rekha Kumari by more than 51,000 votes, while Jan Suraaj candidate Vandana Kumari finished third with 7,717 votes.
This time, the BJP has fielded Neel Ratan Ghosh from Bankipur.
The seat fell vacant after Nabin resigned from the seat after being appointed as the BJP's National President.
A crucial test for Jan Suraaj
The bypoll will be closely watched as it marks Kishor's electoral debut after years as a political strategist and years after launching Jan Suraaj as a political party.
The contest also comes after Jan Suraaj unsuccessfully fought its first full Bihar Assembly election in 2025. The party contested all 243 seats, but could not win any.