Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor set to make a poll debut. The political strategist-turned-politician will contest the Bihar bypolls from the high-profile Bankipur seat.
The Bankipur assembly constituency was left vacant by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin after he was elevated to the Rajya Sabha. Nabin represented the constituency from 2010.
Earlier in May, Prashant Kishor had exuded confidence that only Jan Suraaj can defeat the BJP in the Bankipur constituency.
‘BJP stronghold’ Bankipur seat
Bankipur is considered a strong bastion of the BJP, with the party’s national president Nitin Nabin himself representing the constituency from 2010.
Kishor, however, denied such thoughts, stressing that it is the “stronghold” of Bihar’s people.
“We view this as the beginning of a new kind of politics in Bihar… It is not anyone’s stronghold; it is the stronghold of the people of Bihar… Things will certainly change… People should vote for the best candidate, the one who represents the start of this new politics,” Kishor said.
Jan Suraaj’s Bihar president Manoj Bharti had even called Bankipur a “VVIP” seat. He had said, “Bankipur constituency is no longer an ordinary constituency. It has become a VVIP seat after Nitin Nabin became the BJP’s national president.”
Beginning of ‘new kind of politics’ in Bihar
Prashant Kishor termed the development on Sunday as a beginning of “new kind of politics” in Bihar. He denied contesting the by-elections in alliance.
He asserted that his party is not merely participating in elections to win seats, but to start a new political movement.
“We are not merely fighting for assembly seats, but for initiating a new political movement. As we contest the election, the voters of Bihar face the responsibility of ushering in a fresh beginning for the state…,” Kishor said.
He added, “We are contesting alone [without having a coalition with any other party]. However, I welcome support from anyone who feels they should help.”
In a post on X earlier, Jan Suraaj shared a video wherein Prashant Kishor can be heard saying that the most intelligent, rich and educated people from Bihar live in Bankipur.
Taking a dig at RJD and the BJP, Kishor said, “You can show a way to all of Bihar… a new initiative could be made. If you make it, then it will start another era of politics…”
EC announces bypolls schedule
On Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for bypolls to three Assembly Constituencies in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, which includes the high-profile seats of Bankipur, Datia, and Manjalpur.
According to an official press release issued by the Election Commission, the poll body decided to hold by-polls to fill the vacancies in the constituencies.
In Madhya Pradesh, the vacancy in the 22-Datia Assembly Constituency arose due to the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti.
Meanwhile, in Gujarat, the poll for the 145-Manjalpur Assembly Constituency will be held to fill the seat left vacant following the unfortunate demise of the sitting MLA, Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel.
As per the official schedule released by the poll body, the Gazette Notification for the bye-elections will be issued on July 6 (Monday), marking the commencement of the nomination process.
The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as July 13 (Monday), with the scrutiny of the nomination papers scheduled to take place on July 14 (Tuesday).
Candidates will have until July 16 (Thursday) to withdraw their candidatures. The polling for the three assembly seats in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat will be conducted on July 30 (Thursday), while the counting of votes is slated for August 3 (Monday).
The Election Commission further stated that the entire election process shall be completed by August 4 (Tuesday).
The Commission has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in all polling stations for the by-election. Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available, and all steps have been taken to ensure that the poll is conducted smoothly with the help of these machines.
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