Prashant Kishor Extends Lead Against BJP in Bankipur Bypoll

Kishor secured 5,032 votes against Sinha’s 3,870, while RJD candidate Rekha Kumari holds third place with 767 votes. With 28 rounds of counting remaining out of the 31 scheduled, the process continues at a secure facility in Patna. This contest serves as a significant test for Kishor, the former election strategist who launched his own political platform to specifically target long-standing party strongholds.

The Bankipur seat became vacant following the elevation of BJP leader Nitin Nabin to the Rajya Sabha. Having represented the area since 2010—and succeeding his father, Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha—Nabin’s departure left a power vacuum in a constituency vital to the party’s Bihar influence. Kishor previously stated he deliberately avoided "safe seats" to challenge the local reliance on caste and religious voting patterns, urging constituents to move past the binary fear of the RJD and BJP.