PATNA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday named Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) vice-president Abhishek Kumar as its candidate for the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, setting the stage for a high-profile contest in the constituency with Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor also in the fray.
Polling for the bypoll will be held on July 30 and votes will be counted on August 3.
In a press release, BJP national general secretary and headquarters in-charge Arun Singh announced Abhishek Kumar's candidature. Abhishek, considered close to BJP chief Nitin Nabin, belongs to the Kayastha community, which has a sizeable presence in the Bankipur Assembly constituency.
The bypoll was necessitated after Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP and former Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha extended his support to Prashant Kishor through a post on X. His endorsement is being seen as significant given his enduring popularity in Patna and the constituency's social and political profile.
"Political Dhamaka in Bihar!!!! The most deserving, visionary, an intellectual par excellence, a man of the masses, most loved, admired and talked about personality in totality Prashant Kishor at last has jumped into the fray and has created a real sensation, in political circle and in public, all over the country by entering into the by-election," Sinha wrote.
"Being a 'Bihari Babu', I find this news politically most interesting and of course explosive. Today unity 'among all' is the call of the day. Hope, wish and pray... people in general, younger generation in particular should support him cutting across caste, creed and party affiliations. Jai Bihar! Jai Hind!" he added.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), meanwhile, has fielded Rekha Gupta for the bypoll. State RJD president Mangani Lal Mandal said the party had once again reposed faith in Gupta, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2025 Assembly election from the same seat but had put up a strong performance.
Reacting to Prashant Kishor's entry into the contest, Gupta said, "Chalking out strategy for a particular candidate and contesting elections are two different things. Let us see."
The Bankipur seat has remained with the BJP for more than three decades. Nitin Nabin represented the constituency four times, while his father, the late Navin Kishore Prasad Sinha, won the seat twice.
With the entry of Prashant Kishor and the BJP fielding a new face, the bypoll has emerged as a closely watched political contest. The result is also expected to carry political significance for Nitin Nabin, who is likely to campaign extensively to retain the party's long-held bastion.