Overview
- Jan Suraaj Party has decided in principle to contest the bypoll for the Bankipur assembly seat and Prashant Kishor described the contest as a referendum on the NDA’s first year.
- Kishor said only the Jan Suraaj Party can beat the BJP in Bankipur but declined to confirm whether he will be the party’s candidate, calling selection a party decision.
- The seat was vacated by BJP leader Nitin Nabin after his election to the Rajya Sabha and his elevation as BJP national president, leaving Bankipur open for a by-election.
- A bypoll must be held within six months of the vacancy which compresses the timeline for picking a candidate and mounting a campaign against a constituency the BJP has long dominated by large margins.
- Jan Suraaj’s push comes after the party won no seats in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls, Uday Singh has taken a one‑year break from active politics, and Kishor has moved to an ashram while overseeing organisational work.