Bankipur bypoll: voters say the battle will be between BJP and JSP

Ahead of the by-election for Bankipur Assembly constituency in Patna, residents said that the contest this time will be between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor, who has thrown his hat into the ring. Mr Kishor was busy giving a speech in his constituency. nukkad (corner) meetings and going door to door to meet people.

The by-election will be held on July 30 and the results will be announced on August 3. The seat fell vacant after BJP MLA Nitin Nabin was elected as the party’s national president and was elected to the Rajya Sabha. Mr Nabin had won five consecutive times from Bankipur, a BJP stronghold. While the party has fielded a young leader, Abhishek Kumar Sinha ‘Bunty’, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded Rekha Gupta as its candidate. In the 2025 Assembly elections, Mr. Nabin secured 98,299 votes (62.66%) to defeat Ms. Gupta, who received 46,363 votes (29.55%). JSP’s Vandana Kumari got 7,717 votes (4.92%) while 1,464 voters (0.93%) opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option.

While both Mr. Abhishek and Ms. Gupta will file their nomination papers on Thursday, July 9, 2026, Mr. Kishor is expected to file his nomination on July 11.

“I voted for BJP in the last few Assembly elections but now [the party] It became overwhelming. I won’t vote for the BJP this time, but the battle seems to be between Mr Kishor and Mr Abhishek Sinha,” said Suman Dhari Sinha, a seventy-year-old resident of Bankipur’s Kidwaipuri area. Mr Suman Sinha, who is into trade and agricultural input production, said Bankipur has traditionally been a BJP stronghold. “BJP can do anything to win the poll, but don’t you even remember Indira” Did Gandhi lose the election in this country? The BJP has now become hopeless and quite demoralising.” he added.

A few meters away from her house, 50-year-old Jyoti Kumar Verma, a ration shop owner, asserted: “Only the BJP candidate will win. In the last nine Assembly elections [five terms for Mr. Nabin and four terms for his father Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha]”The voters have put their trust in the party’s candidate… This time too, the candidate is local and personally knows everyone in the constituency… The BJP is unique.” “With Mr. Kishor in the fray this time, the margin of victory for the BJP candidate may be slightly less, but we will vote only for the BJP,” he added.

But Sumit Kumar, a 29-year-old young voter from Dakshin Mandiri area near Kathpul, said: “We need change… how long will we continue voting for one party?” he asked. Mr. Sumit Kumar, the youngest of six siblings, works as a kitchen assistant in a private company. He is clear about who he thinks the main contestants are. “The battle will be between Mr Kishor and Mr Abhishek. The BJP candidate may win this time, but the next election will be really difficult for the BJP as we want change,” he said.

Bankipur is a largely urban constituency in central Patna with around 4 lakh voters and is dominated by Kayastha and Vaishya (merchant) voters, along with a mixed population of other castes. While the Kayastha community constitutes around 15% to 20% of the electorate, Vaishyas also reside in sizeable numbers. The BJP candidate hails from the Kayastha community and the RJD candidate hails from the Vaishya community. Mr. Kishor belongs to the Brahmin community.

Mr. Nabin will visit Patna on Friday, July 10, 2026, to attend a meeting of National Democratic Alliance leaders at the official residence of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary at 1 Anne Marg in Patna. The meeting will discuss coordination among ruling coalition partners and preparations for by-elections in Bankipur, among other issues.