Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Sunday announced that he will contest the Bankipur Assembly byelection, calling it a direct test of the BJP government’s popularity under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Kishor said the bypoll would show whether the BJP continued to enjoy public support after the change in leadership in Bihar. He said if the BJP retained the seat, it would mean the people were still backing the government. However, if Jan Suraaj emerged victorious, the ruling party would have to accept the public verdict.
Kishor again questioned Choudhary’s appointment as Chief Minister, claiming he took charge without seeking a fresh mandate from the people. He argued that the NDA had fought the last Assembly elections with JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar as its chief ministerial face.
Seeking support from voters, Kishor said Bankipur was among Bihar’s most educated and prosperous constituencies and urged people to elect the best candidate. He also claimed that even if he was the only Jan Suraaj MLA in the 243-member Assembly, he would prove to be more effective than the remaining legislators.
The Bankipur seat fell vacant after BJP state president Nitin Nabin resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Kishor said his candidature was approved by the Jan Suraaj Party’s core committee after the Election Commission announced the bypoll last week.
Nominations for the bypoll will be filed between July 7 and July 13. Polling will be held on July 30 and votes will be counted on August 3.
The BJP, which has held the Bankipur seat since the 1990s, is yet to announce its candidate. Even the RJD-Congress-Left alliance has also not declared its nominee.
Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who floated the Janshakti Janata Dal after being expelled from the RJD by his father Lalu Prasad, has fielded social activist Veena Manvi from the seat.
