Prashant Kishor may make electoral debut from BJP bastion Bankipur

Political circles are abuzz with speculation that political strategist Prashant Kishor is set to make his electoral debut by contesting the upcoming Bankipur Assembly by-election, taking on the BJP in one of its strongest bastions.

The Bankipur Assembly constituency in the heart of Patna, Bihar, fell vacant in March after BJP National President Nitin Nabin resigned as an MLA following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

Advertisement

The constituency has remained a BJP stronghold for more than three decades. When it was known as Patna West, Naveen Kishore Prasad Sinha won the seat in 1995 and went on to represent it four times. After his death, his son Nitin Nabin won the 2006 by-election and has since retained the seat in four consecutive Assembly elections.

The Jan Suraaj Party has intensified its campaign for the by-election, aiming to wrest the seat from the BJP.

In a recent interview, Prashant Kishor said, “Whatever it takes to break the BJP’s stronghold in Bankipur will be done. If I have to contest myself for that, I will.”

Although the party has not officially announced its candidate, it has already launched an extensive campaign in the constituency. The Jan Suraaj founder and other senior party leaders have been holding public meetings and outreach programmes across Bankipur.

Apart from being a prestige battle for Nitin Nabin, the by-election is also being projected by Prashant Kishor as a test of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s leadership.

“Many people are saying that the BJP made a mistake by making Samrat Choudhary the Chief Minister. People are unhappy with this decision. PM Modi and Amit Shah made him the Chief Minister. They do not consult anyone before choosing a Chief Minister. But voters now have an opportunity to send a message by defeating the BJP in the Bankipur by-election,” Prashant Kishor said.

He further appealed to voters that even if they do not elect him or the Jan Suraaj Party, they should defeat the BJP in Bankipur to convey to Narendra Modi and Amit Shah that appointing Samrat Choudhary as Chief Minister was the wrong decision.

Meanwhile, the possibility of a triangular contest appears slim, with the opposition Mahagathbandhan yet to show the same level of activity as the BJP and Jan Suraaj.

In the 2025 Assembly elections, Nitin Nabin defeated RJD candidate Rekha Kumari by a huge margin of 51,936 votes. In the 2020 election, Congress candidate Luv Sinha had lost the seat by 39,036 votes.