Several Jan Suraaj leaders, including former Bihar Assembly election candidates KC Sinha and Ritesh Ranjan alias Bittu Singh, joined the BJP ahead of the July 30 Bankipur assembly bypoll, in a setback for party founder Prashant Kishor.

The bypoll was necessitated after BJP National President Nitin Nabin resigned from his Assembly membership, leaving the Bankipur seat in Bihar's Patna vacant