The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on Sunday (July 5, 2026) announced that its founder, Prashant Kishor, will contest the upcoming by-election in Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly constituency, making his electoral debut.
The seat fell vacant after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nitin Nabin was first nominated as the party’s national president and later elected to the Rajya Sabha on April 16.
State JSP president Manoj Bharti announced the decision at a press conference in Patna and said that the party’s core committee has unanimously chosen Mr. Kishor as its candidate for the bypoll.
Addressing the press meet, Mr. Kishor said he would do everything to defeat the BJP in the byelection. He acknowledged that many people who had connected with the vision and efforts of the JSP were disappointed following its performance in last year’s Assembly election.
“A victory for Jan Suraaj in the Bankipur byelection would provide a massive boost to the movement for change in Bihar. I accept this responsibility with sincerity and thank all the leaders and workers. I will strive to contest the election with complete sincerity and a commitment,” Mr. Kishor said.
Bankipur, in Patna, has been a stronghold of the BJP. Mr. Nabin won the seat in the 2025 Assembly election for the fifth consecutive term, defeating Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Rekha Kumari with over 51,000 votes. JSP candidate Vandana Kumari finished third. Mr. Nabin’s father, Navin Kishore Prasad Sinha, had represented the seat since 1995.
Mr. Kishor described the byelection as a referendum on the performance, conduct, character, public image, policies, and operational style of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, which has been in office for six months under the leadership of Samrat Choudhary.
“If the BJP wins the Bankipur election, I will have no hesitation in acknowledging that the people of Bihar endorse their policies, their public face, and their government. If the BJP loses, the government must accept that the people of Bihar do not approve its conduct, character, image, and system of governance,” he said.
The byelection will be a major test for Mr. Kishor after his party drew a blank in the 2025 Assembly election.
Reacting to the announcement, Bihar BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishna expressed confidence of victory.
“The BJP is going to win the Bankipur by-election with a record margin. Anyone contesting against the BJP candidate is bound to lose, as voters of Bankipur have already made up their minds to bless the BJP. If Mr. Kishor contests, he will get his security forfeited. Bihar needs people, and a party which delivers, and the BJP has delivered. Mr. Kishor is a “Rajnaitik Baheliya” (political fowler), and this time he will be exposed. We have full faith in the blessings of the people of Bankipur.”
Earlier, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that the notification for the byelection would be issued on July 6. Nominations can be filed until July 13. Polling will be held on July 30, and counting of votes will take place on August 3.
