Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, announces that he will contest the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar on July 30, marking his electoral debut. Multiple outlets report that the seat becomes vacant after BJP leader Nitin Nabin resigns as an MLA to take up national responsibilities and is elected to the Rajya Sabha. Kishor’s decision follows a party core-committee meeting and is communicated through party leadership, with state JSP president Manoj Bharti making the announcement.
The move is widely framed as a direct challenge to the BJP in a constituency the party has held continuously since 1995. Kishor presents the bypoll as a “referendum” on the performance of the NDA government led by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, and he campaigns on people-centric issues. Reporting also notes that Kishor previously said not contesting earlier may have been a strategic mistake and indicated willingness to challenge in a “strong” BJP seat. The BJP, according to one account, remains confident of retaining Bankipur.