03 August,2026 01:20 PM IST | Patna | mid-day online correspondent
The bypoll marks the first direct electoral contest of election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor. FILE PIC
Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor widened his lead over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha in the Bankipur Assembly by-election on Monday as counting of votes progressed, according to Election Commission figures.
After 10 of the 31 rounds of counting, Kishor had secured 20,059 votes, while Sinha polled 14,048 votes, giving the JSP chief a lead of 6,011 votes. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Rekha Gupta was in third place with 3,983 votes.
The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security arrangements in Patna, with the bypoll attracting considerable attention as it marks the first direct electoral contest of election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor.
A celebratory mood was witnessed among JSP workers at the party headquarters in Patna as Kishor maintained his lead over the BJP candidate.
The by-election was necessitated after BJP National President Nitin Nabin vacated the Bankipur Assembly seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha in April. The BJP fielded its youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha, while the RJD once again nominated Rekha Gupta, who had lost to Nabin by a margin of more than 50,000 votes in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections.
Earlier in the day, Bihar Minister Shrawon Kumar said the early trends were not conclusive and expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would retain the seat.
"These are early trends. The picture will become clear after a few more rounds of counting. We are hopeful that the mandate will be in the NDA's favour because we have worked for the development of people irrespective of caste, religion or creed," he said.
The Bankipur bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 34.30 per cent, lower than the 41.45 per cent recorded during the last Assembly election.
The contest has drawn political attention as Bankipur, which falls under the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, has long been regarded as a BJP stronghold. The constituency has been represented by Nitin Nabin since 2010 and, before him, by his father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha.
Ahead of the election, Kishor had said he deliberately chose to contest from Bankipur instead of a "safe seat" to send a message that Bihar's voters should move beyond caste and religion while exercising their franchise.
"When people start their electoral politics, they look for safe seats for themselves... I am doing the opposite because I am telling the people of Bihar that if Bihar is to change, they must vote beyond caste and religion. They must stop voting out of fear of Lalu for BJP, or fear of BJP for Lalu," Kishor had said.
The counting is continuing, with the final result expected after the completion of all 31 rounds.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
