Bankipur Bypoll Update: Just 4.61% Voting Till 9 AM In High-Stakes Contest As Prashant Kishor Debuts On Nitin Nabin's Turf

Patna: Polling for the Bankipur assembly by-election in Bihar began at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security arrangements, officials said. Around 3.80 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 26 candidates, including Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, who is making his electoral debut. As of 9 am, around 4.61 per cent had cast their vote.

Voting will continue till 6 pm, a senior official at the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer said. Counting of votes is scheduled for August 3.

#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: Voting begins for the by-election of Bankipur Assembly constituency.

(Visuals from Bihar State Library) pic.twitter.com/wXhhIuUpCJ

— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2026

The entry of Kishor, a former poll strategist who launched the Jan Suraaj Party a few years ago, has turned the contest into a keenly watched battle in a constituency that has remained a BJP stronghold.

BJP national president Nitin Nabin vacated the seat after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April. Nabin had won the assembly seat for the fifth consecutive time in November last year, defeating his nearest rival Rekha Gupta of the RJD by over 50,000 votes.

The BJP has fielded youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha.

The saffron party has not lost the seat since 1995, when the constituency was known as Patna West.

According to Election Commission data, all 422 polling booths in the constituency are located in urban areas.

Prominent candidates in fray

BJP: Neeraj Kumar Sinha
RJD: Rekha Kumari Gupta
JSP: Prashant Kishor

Prashant Kishor claims supporters picked up by police ''at BJP''s behest''

Kishor on Thursday accused the Bihar Police of having picked up many of his supporters, allegedly at the behest of the ruling BJP, which he said "fears losing the bypoll" in the Bankipur seat.

Talking to reporters outside the state capital's Jakkanpur police station, Kishor said, "I have been camping here for the past few hours, and the police is unable to divulge the whereabouts of more than 16 of my supporters who have been rounded up."

"I am not describing these as arrests since there is no record of which of my people have been named in which case. I came to this police station after learning that they had been kept at the Jakkanpur police station. But, here I am told that they have all been taken to different police stations. The SHO here even claims that the police station was not involved in the detentions, which were carried out at the instance of higher-ups," the former poll strategist alleged.

Why are Bankipur elections making headlines?

Although 26 candidates are in the fray in Bankipur, the contest is being seen as primarily between Kishor and BJP's Neeraj Kumar Sinha, a youth wing leader.

ALSO READ: Bankipur Bypolls: BJP's Pamphlets Thrown At Tejashwi Yadav As BJP And RJD's Convoys Cross Paths During Roadshows | Watch

The Jan Suraaj Party leader added, "I am sitting at the police station to highlight the sheer lack of professionalism on part of the police. The SHO here has tried to intimidate us and threatened to book one of my party colleagues under the draconian prohibition law. Once we are through with the bypoll, we will definitely press for action against the erring police officials."

Tejashwi's test to prove himself as undisputed opposition face

Tejashwi Yadav, who just returned from a two-week tour of Europe amid political turmoil, also faces the challenge of remaining the undisputed face of the opposition in Bihar. Clearly, the Bankipur result will answer many political questions simultaneously.

With Lalu Yadav's political retreat, the entire responsibility of the opposition alliance rests with Tejashwi Yadav. He remains the most prominent face of anti-BJP politics in Bihar.

ALSO READ: Bankipur Bypoll: Nitin Nabin Bets On BJP's 'MY' Formula, Directs Workers For Booth-Level Outreach Among 'Mahila-Yuva'

If the RJD manages to maintain its support base, Tejashwi's position will remain strong, but a strong performance by Prashant Kishor is sure to spark a new debate about the leadership of the opposition.

The question will also arise as to who can challenge the BJP in the future elections.

Congress

Congress's indifference in Bankipur is being seen as a sign of non-cooperation with the RJD. Prashant Kishor has also hinted several times that new political possibilities could emerge in Bihar with Congress and other smaller parties disappointed with the RJD.

In this election too, Prashant seems to be trying to break into the RJD's traditional vote bank. If he succeeds, the Congress may also be more likely to join him.

(With inputs from PTI)