Media365
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has opened up a lead over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Neeraj Kumar Sinha following the fourth round of counting in the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Patna.
According to official figures from the Election Commission, Kishor has polled 6,269 votes against Sinha’s 5,124, giving the election strategist-turned-politician an early lead of 1,145 votes. Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Rekha Kumari sits a distant third with 884 votes.
The by-election, which took place on July 30, represents Kishor’s first personal foray into direct ballot politics. The Bankipur constituency has long been regarded as an unassailable BJP stronghold, having been represented since 2010 by Nitin Nabin — who is now the party’s national president — and previously by his father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha. The seat fell vacant earlier this year after Nabin was elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Kishor previously stated that he had deliberately bypassed politically safe constituencies to take on the BJP in one of its core urban bases. Speaking ahead of the vote, he explained that the decision was intended to send a broader message to the electorate, urging voters in Bihar to move past caste and religious considerations and to stop casting ballots out of fear of either the BJP or the RJD.
Counting is currently proceeding under heavy multi-tier security at the central counting facility in Patna, with 27 of the 31 scheduled rounds still to be processed before an official winner is declared.
Also read: Kishor alleges misuse of ‘Jeevika Didis’ in Bihar bypolls
