Bihar: BJP Faces Uphill Task in Bankipur Bypoll, Home Turf of Nitin Nabin

Patna: Sensing a tough electoral battle in the bypoll for the Bankipur Assembly constituency in Bihar, hundreds of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and leaders, including ministers, MLAs, MLCs, former ministers and even MPs have been moving from one place to another to reach out to people. This reflects an uncomfortable BJP in Bankipur, one of its urban strongholds for decades, which is the home turf of none other than BJP president Nitin Nabin. It is probably the first time in years that BJP seems nervous here because this is not a normal bypoll. The voting is to be held on July 30.

Surprisingly, Nabin arrived in Patna on Saturday on a two-day visit and addressed an election meeting in Bankipur. He is also said to have held meetings with state party office bearers to review ongoing campaigns. This is the BJP chief’s second visit to Patna after a gap of four days. 

Nabin's repeated visits here to campaign for the bypoll is an indication that BJP is not leaving any stone unturned.

This is also contrary to what BJP leaders have been claiming in public, that there is no fight in Bankipur and Jan Suraaj Party’s Prashant Kishor will lose his deposit like most of his party candidates in the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls.

Unlike the bypolls in recent years in Bihar, Bankipur is different and has heated up politics following election strategist-turned JSP fonder Prashant Kishor, popularly known as PK, contesting the Bankipur seat that was vacated by Nabin, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha in March 2026. PK has announced that he deliberately chose to contest for the first time from Bankipur, which is not an easy and safe seat for him, claiming that only he can defeat BJP.

The importance of the Bankipur bypoll lies in the fact that it is the traditional seat of Nitin Nabin and is going to be the first electoral challenge for Bihar’s first BJP Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who has been in power for over three months.

Taking this into consideration, PK has repeatedly said that this bypoll will be a referendum on the BJP government led by Choudhary. “The Bankipur Assembly bypoll will be a strong referendum on the popularity of the BJP government in the state. The people of Bankipur are the richest and the most educated in Bihar, and I feel they can repose their trust in me”, he said in a public statement.

PK further attacked the “arrogance” of BJP leaders   who claimed that BJP would win Bankipur even if it fielded a dog or cat. “People hear many BJP leaders saying that even a cat or a dog can win Bankipur if it were fielded on that party's ticket. This is how BJP looks at voters of this constituency. It has taken them for granted. But JSP’s victory will teach BJP a  hard lesson”, he said.

Taking PK’s challenge seriously, BJP is said to have changed its candidate Abhishek Kumar announced on July 8. But a different theory is doing the rounds. On July 9, BJP replaced Abhishek with youth leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha. Both Abhishek and Neeraj belong to the Kayastha caste. Never before has a powerful national party dropped its candidate, who was reportedly not only a close associate of Nitin Nabin, but was also the BJP president’s choice for the Bankipur bypoll.

It was reported that BJP changed its candidate Abhishek because of his father and mother’s alleged involvement and conviction in a multi-crore fodder scam. “But this factor has no strong ground for it, as a Bihar minister Nitish Mishra, a senior BJP leader, is son of former chief minister Jagannath Mishra, who was also convicted in the fodder scam. BJP is in trouble in Bankipur since PK entered the fray,” as per political watchers here.

They added that PK’s first direct electoral battle was between him and Nitin Nabin, who may not be in the fray this time but will be the powerful face behind the BJP ‘s candidate in the fray in Bankipur.

“PK’s presence as a candidate in Bankipur has already turned it into an important bypoll that is drawing national attention because he is in a new role and is ready to challenge BJP and its president, Nitin Nabin. Until recently, PK was known for managing election campaigns for other leaders or political parties. Even in last year’s Bihar Assembly polls, he campaigned for JSP candidates. Now, for the first time, he is seeking votes from the electorate for himself, which has created tension and fear in the BJP camp”, observed a political analyst.

Bankipur, situated in the heart of Patna, widely seen as a BJP stronghold. The party has won the seat since the mid-90s without fail. The Assembly seat was earlier (before 2008) known as Patna West.

More than PK, the prestige of BJP president Nabin is at stake.

According to BJP sources, the party’s strategy is simple -- to work to ensure that the support of its traditional core voters remains intact, including the middle class that comprises businessmen, traders, government employees, doctors and lawyers, who are voters in large numbers in this constituency. Besides, BJP is also confident to get overwhelming support from upper caste Kayasthas, which has a sizable population, followed by Bhumihars, Rajputs, Brahmins and Baniyas.

Nabin has been winning Bankipur with astounding margins in the last four polls because the social equation was favourable to the party.

 “Bankipur is known as a Kayastha-dominated seat that has also a large population of Baniyas, Marwadis and Jains, all of them are traders or businessmen. They have been voting BJP since long, but this time PK is trying to make a deep dent by appealing for “a change”, a political watcher said.

 PK, who himself is a Brahmin, is eyeing to woo his caste and other upper castes, such as Bhumihars and Rajputs.  He is likely to get support of OBCs ( Other Backward Classes) like Kurmi, the caste community of former chief minister Nitish Kumar. The Kurmis are said to be unhappy with BJP for replacing Nitish. Similarly, JSP has been focussing on over 50 slums in Bankipur, where Dalits and EBCs (extremely backward classes) are living without basic amenities.

In view of PK’s strategy of a door-to-door campaign and corner and bylane meetings, BJP has appointed party leaders as a “special” in charge at each of the 422 booths in Bankipur. It has instructed party’s MPs, MLAs and district presidents to be present at each booth.

BJP has also deployed 16 ministers in 16 wards of Bankipur for campaigning and to woo voters. ”The party has deployed each minister in a locality populated by his caste men to influence voters”, a BJP leader told this writer.

Although the BJP has an edge over PK in Bankipur, it is not an easy going poll for it because PK’s party leaders and workers in large numbers are working day and night to reach out to each voter. The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dak has also fielded a candidate, which would further create trouble for PK. This bypoll seen as is a litmus test for PK as well.