Bankipur bypoll: Abhishek Kumar is BJP candidate

Patna: BJP on Tuesday named Abhishek Kumar “Bunty” as its candidate for the Bankipur assembly bypoll scheduled for July 30. He will contest as the NDA nominee. The last date for filing nominations is July 13, while counting will take place on Aug 3.A Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state vice-president, Abhishek will contest from the high-profile seat vacated by BJP national president Nitin Nabin. He will face Jan Suraaj’s Prashant Kishor and RJD’s Rekha Gupta, among others.Congratulating him, CM Samrat Choudhary posted on X, “I am fully confident that your dedication and commitment to public service will garner the immense blessings of the people, and that you will achieve a historic victory while advancing the cause of development, good governance and the national interest.”

He also wished Abhishek a successful campaign.Abhishek, a Kayastha, has been associated with the BJP for 26 years and has served twice as the party’s Patna mandal president besides holding the posts of mandal secretary and general secretary.Expressing gratitude to the party’s central and state leadership, he said, “I am a BJP worker for the last 26 years and assure the people and party workers of Bankipur that I will keep working for them like Nitin Nabin ji.”

The Bankipur bypoll has turned into a prestige battle for both the NDA and the opposition. Prashant has described it as a referendum on Samrat Choudhary after the NDA’s victory in the 2025 assembly election under Nitish Kumar’s leadership.The BJP picked Abhishek after approval by its Central Election Committee, preferring a local organisational worker. Sources said caste equations also weighed in the decision as both Abhishek and Nitin belong to the Kayastha community, which has a sizeable presence in the constituency.