The by-election to Bihar's Bankipur Assembly constituency recorded a modest 33.57% voter turnout till 5 pm on Thursday, reflecting the seat's history of low polling. The bypoll, necessitated by the resignation of BJP leader Nitin Nabin after his election to the Rajya Sabha, has turned into a high-profile contest between the BJP and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor.
Polling began at 7 am and continued at a subdued pace through the day. Around 3.8 lakh electors are eligible to vote in the constituency, which has remained a BJP stronghold since 1995, when it was known as Patna West. While voter participation remained low, the campaign witnessed sharp political exchanges and allegations from both sides.
Allegations overshadow a quiet polling day
The election atmosphere became tense after Prashant Kishor alleged that the Bihar Police detained Jan Suraaj workers to benefit the ruling BJP. Kishor claimed more than 16 party workers were picked up between Wednesday evening and night without being given any reason and were shifted between police stations before being taken to Shahpur Police Station.
Late on Wednesday, Kishor reached a police station in Patna and remained there until the early hours of Thursday, accusing the police of functioning as an "extension of a political party" and attempting to help the BJP by detaining Jan Suraaj workers and obstructing its voters.
Speaking to reporters outside a polling booth near Patna's Gol Ghar, Kishor further alleged that his polling agents were being detained by the police during voting.
However, City SP (Central) Mamta Kalyani rejected the allegations, saying everyone had the right to vote and nobody was being stopped. She said the police were continuously appealing to people to cast their votes while ensuring they did not gather in groups, as that would violate election protocols.
The Patna Senior Superintendent of Police's office later said several individuals had been taken into preventive custody because they were non-resident campaigners who had failed to leave the constituency during the mandatory 48-hour silence period under Election Commission of India guidelines. The police, however, did not identify those detained or confirm whether they belonged to Jan Suraaj.
Kishor disputed the police version, claiming around 10 detained Jan Suraaj workers were residents of Patna district and not outsiders. He also visited the family of one of his supporters near Mandiri Nala in Bankipur, alleging the man had been taken away by police around 2 am on Thursday.
BJP hits back as both camps trade charges
The BJP strongly rejected Kishor's allegations and instead accused Jan Suraaj of attempting to bring "fake voters" into the constituency.
Mritunjay Tiwari, who recently joined the BJP after resigning from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), alleged that Jan Suraaj workers were trying to bring fake voters to Bankipur. He said the BJP had requested Election Commission officials to verify voter identities to ensure people could vote freely, fairly and transparently.
Tiwari also claimed Jan Suraaj's strategy would fail and asserted that Kishor's security deposit would be forfeited.
Union Minister Lalan Singh also dismissed Kishor's allegations, saying Bihar functioned under the rule of law and there was no reason for authorities to detain workers of any political party without justification. He urged Kishor to make allegations only on the basis of facts.
A mild altercation also broke out between BJP and Jan Suraaj workers in the Shrikrishnapuri area but was brought under control following police intervention.
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Big names cast votes as candidates remain confident
Several senior political leaders voted during the day, including BJP MP Ravishankar Prasad, veteran BJP leader CP Thakur, Nawada MP Vivek Thakur, Bihar ministers Ramkripal Yadav and Ashok Choudhary, Nitish Kumar's elder sister Usha Devi, and BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, PTI reports.
Sinha avoided commenting on the political allegations, saying he preferred to focus only on the development of Bankipur, where substantial work had already been carried out under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
In a post on X, former MLA Nitin Nabin appealed to voters to participate in large numbers and strengthen the resolve for a developed India. Nabin vacated the seat in April after being elected to the Rajya Sabha, just six months after winning the Assembly constituency for a fifth consecutive term.
After casting his vote at Patna Women's College with his family, Ravishankar Prasad expressed confidence that the BJP would register a decisive victory. He said he had been voting in the constituency for the past 20 years and credited the BJP's popularity to development carried out by NDA governments led by Nitish Kumar and Samrat Choudhary.
Ramkripal Yadav described the contest as one-sided and claimed BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha was headed for victory. He also asserted that Kishor would finish a distant third because, according to him, people would not support an outsider billionaire.
RJD candidate Rekha Gupta also expressed confidence about her prospects, saying people wanted change and would support her. She alleged that polling booth agents carrying BJP identity cards were trying to influence voters and dismissed Kishor as merely a social media phenomenon.
Security remains tight as contest stays in focus
According to the Patna District Magistrate's office, authorities deployed eight super zonal magistrates, 16 zonal magistrates and 42 sector magistrates to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.
Additional security personnel were stationed in sensitive areas. Officials were instructed to verify suspicious voter identity cards by scanning QR codes through the Election Commission app and register FIRs in cases involving fake identity cards.
Although the BJP has held the constituency continuously since 1995, this by-election has attracted attention because of Prashant Kishor's decision to directly challenge the party through Jan Suraaj. A total of 26 candidates are contesting the election, including RJD's Rekha Gupta, who lost to Nitin Nabin by more than 50,000 votes in the last Assembly election.
Despite the relatively low turnout, the sharp exchange of allegations, heightened security arrangements and the high-profile contest have ensured that the Bankipur bypoll remains politically significant. Whether the day's political confrontations influence the final outcome will become clear once the votes are counted.
