Prashant Kishor To Contest His First Election From Bankipur; The Fight To Be Billed As Him Versus BJP National President Nitin Nabin
JSP Bihar president Manoj Bharti said that Prashant Kishor's decision stems from the wishes of the people of the constituency.
By Dev Raj
Published : June 26, 2026 at 8:13 PM IST
Patna: Poll consultant – turned – Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) leader Prashant Kishor is finally going to get a taste of elections. And he will do so by contesting the by-poll for the Bankipur constituency in the state capital, turning it into a battle between him and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin, which would grab national and international attention.
The BJP is already suspecting that Prashant could also leverage the contest to give a call to unite the Opposition, currently lying disunited and weak in Bihar and other states.
“Prashant ji will contest from Bankipur. His decision stems from the wishes of the people of the constituency. We have been roaming among the people of Bankipur for the past two months. All of them have demanded that he (Prashant) should contest the by-election. Their natural inclination is towards him,” JSP Bihar president and former diplomat Manoj Bharti told ETV Bharat.
The Bankipur seat and its connection with BJP national president
Bankipur fell vacant after Nitin resigned as its MLA on March 30, on getting elected to the Rajya Sabha. He had won the constituency ever since it came into existence in 2008, following the delimitation of electoral constituencies in Bihar in 2008. The seat is considered a pocket borough of Nitin and the BJP.
Previously, Bankipur was known as the Patna West assembly constituency. Nitin’s father and senior BJP leader Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha won it four times since 1995 till his demise in 2006. It brought Nitin into politics, and he won the by-election that was held that year.
The Election Commission is yet to announce the date of the by-poll, but is expected to announce it soon. The Representation of the People Act, 1951, mandates that by-elections to fill a vacant seat be conducted within six months. This gives the Commission time till September 30 to conduct it in Bankipur.
“Bankipur is the seat of the BJP national president. Whoever the party fields as the candidate will be known as the BJP national president’s candidate. The BJP considers it its fortress and has not lost it in the past three decades. We know that it will use its full strength in the by-poll and resort to all tactics to win it by hook or by crook, but will lose it to us,” Manoj said.
Jan Suraaj Party’s plan
Expressing concern about the alleged use of money and muscle power by the BJP in elections, Manoj said that the JSP has always been against such practices and has publicly criticised it. He added that his party will counter it by educating the people about it.
“Money and muscle power work only till the people do not realise where their welfare lies. Once they understand, there is no stopping them. We have been trying to make them see the reality. Bankipur’s situation is like hell. There is a distinct lack of civic amenities despite one family and party ruling it for more than three decades. Altogether 64 of 111 slum areas in Patna are located in this particular constituency,” he added.
The JSP Bihar president argued that the by-poll was for just one assembly constituency, and the result of the by-poll will neither negatively impact the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state, which is firmly ensconced with 201 out of total 243 sets in the legislative Assembly, nor will bring back the ‘jungle raj’ (lawlessness or the law of the jungle) of the previous regime.
“But the Bankipur result will send a signal to the BJP high command that the people of Bihar are not happy with the party, and want a change. They are not happy with the way the BJP betrayed Nitish and kicked him out within five months of the Assembly elections despite contesting with the slogan ‘Pachees se tees, fir se Nitish’ (Nitish again as CM from 2025 to 2030),” Bharti said.
Asked whether the JSP will contest the by-election alone or in alliance with other Opposition parties, Bharti said that the party was not looking for it and was instead banking on the support of the public. However, sources in the RJD revealed that it may not field its candidate if Prashant enters the fray.
BJP keeping a tab on Prashant Kishor’s move; says it will win the seat
Meanwhile, the BJP is watching the developments closely as it suspects that Prashant will try to unite the Opposition in his name and give a call for broader unity in the light of the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur in February – March 2027.
“The way we read the ambition and inclination of Prashant Kishor, he will try to use the Bankipur bypoll as an opportunity to rally the Opposition parties behind him and unite them for the Assembly polls due in five states early next year. We will ensure that this is nipped in the bud. We do not want to provide any toe-hold or enthusiasm to the Opposition either in Bihar or elsewhere,” a senior BJP leader from Bihar said.
The senior saffron party leader revealed that Nitin would handpick the Bankipur candidate as he and his family has old ties with the constituency. Despite the concerns about a broader Opposition unity, the BJP is upbeat about the Bankipur bypoll and asserts that the result was a foregone conclusion in its favour.
“The JSP contested almost all seats in the November 2025 Assembly elections and lost badly. All its candidates lost their electoral deposits. Prashant did not have the courage to contest in the full polls. He is now thinking of contesting from Bankipur to hog the limelight, but will be blown away in the storm of votes in favour of our party. He will forfeit his deposit and be left in a miserable condition,” BJP spokesperson and former MLA Prem Ranjan Patel said.
Prem Ranjan pointed out that the BJP won all four Assembly seats in the state capital in the November 2025 Assembly polls, and asserted that the situation was such that any party worker or leader who contests in the by-poll will win hands down.
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