Jan Suraaj Party candidate Prashant Kishor has maintained a narrow lead over BJP’s Neeraj Kumar Sinha in the initial rounds of counting for the Bankipur assembly bypoll in Bihar. The former poll strategist, who is making his electoral debut, is locked in a closely watched contest with the BJP candidate.
As per the latest official figures released by the Election Commission after Round 3 of the 31 scheduled rounds of counting, Prashant Kishor is leading with 5,032 votes, while BJP's Neeraj Kumar Sinha has secured 3,870 votes. Kishor is ahead by a margin of 1,162 votes.
The bypoll has drawn attention as it comes amid the political fallout from nationwide student protests, putting the ruling BJP under pressure. A victory for Kishor in Bankipur, a traditional BJP stronghold, would mark a significant setback for the party.
The election was necessitated after BJP national president Nitin Nabin resigned from the assembly seat in April following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Polling held on July 30 recorded a voter turnout of 34.30 per cent, a decline of more than seven percentage points from the 41.45 per cent turnout recorded in the previous assembly elections. While the main contest is between Kishor and Sinha, a total of 26 candidates are in the fray.
Nabin had won the seat for a fifth consecutive term in November 2025, defeating his nearest rival Rekha Gupta of the RJD by more than 50,000 votes. The BJP has retained the constituency since 1995, when it was known as Patna West.
The campaign also witnessed a war of words between the BJP and the Jan Suraaj Party. Kishor alleged that police had detained his supporters at the behest of the ruling party, while the BJP accused the former poll strategist of bringing in “fake voters”.
