Jan Suraaj Party to contest Bankipur Assembly bypoll

After drawing a blank in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has said that it would contest the bypoll to the Bankipur Assembly seat with “full might and strength”. The buzz in the political circles is that Mr. Kishor could contest the byelection.

The Election commission is yet to announce date for the bypoll for the seat which had fallen vacant after BJP MLA Nitin Nabin was first nominated as party’s national president and later, elected to the Rajya Sabha on April 16.

“We’ll contest the upcoming Bankipur Assembly bypoll with full might and make every effort to win the seat. We’ll go door-to-door in the constituency to intensify our public outreach there in the next one month and seek people’s opinion there. The BJP will be defeated there at any cost,” Mr. Kishore told presspersons on Wednesday (May 27, 2026). When asked if would he contest the bypoll, Mr. Kishore said that the party would take a call on the matter. 

“The upcoming bypoll in Bankipur constituency will be a test for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. It will be referendum of Mr. Choudhary’s government in Bihar,” a JSP member said.

Reacting to the development, senior State BJP leader and Minister Pramod Kumar Chandravanshi said, “Let him contest the Bankipur Assembly bypoll and history will repeat itself there. Mr. Kishor and his party have been thoroughly exposed during last Assembly election in Bihar”. Janata Dal (United) leaders too echoed similar sentiments.

Bankipur Assembly constituency in Patna has been stronghold of the BJP. The Election Commission is likely to announce date for the bypoll in July or August. Mr. Nabin won the seat in the 2025 Assembly election for fifth consecutive term by defeating Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Rekha Kumari with over 51,000 votes. JSP candidate Vandana Kumari had finished third in the poll. Mr. Nabin’s father, Navin Kishore Prasad Sinha, has held the seat since 1995. Before delimitation in 2008, the seat was known as the Patna West seat.

Mr. Kishor stayed away from contesting the 2025 Assembly election. In 2025 election, the Jan Suraaj Party had fielded candidates on 238 of 243 seats and drew a blank. The party had managed to get about 3.4% vote share in the election.