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Counting of votes for the by-election to the Bankipur assembly seat in Bihar has been ongoing since Monday morning. Following initial trends, Jan Suraj Party candidate Prashant Kishore has maintained a steady lead. As of the 23rd round, Prashant Kishore has led BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by over 13,000 votes. 

Prashant Kishor has maintained the lead

Following Prashant Kishor’s consistent lead, Jan Suraj Party supporters are seen celebrating. Workers were seen celebrating at the party headquarters. Prashant Kishor himself has also reached the polling station. However, the vote count is not yet complete, and a total of 31 rounds of counting will be held in the Bankipur constituency.

In such a situation, the final results are awaited until the remaining rounds of counting are completed. However, the significant challenge is that candidates ranging from Rekha Gupta to Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav are contesting this Bankipur by-election. Let’s find out their standings. 

Prashant Kishor is leading in the Bankipur by-election, while BJP candidate Nitish Kumar is in second place. RJD candidate Rekha Gupta has secured third place, having secured over 10,000 votes. A total of 31 candidates are contesting this by-election. In addition to candidates from major political parties, several independent candidates are also trying their luck. 

How are Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar?

The names of some independent candidates have also been discussed in the Bankipur by-election. The list of candidates includes two candidates named ‘Lalu Prasad Yadav’ and ‘Nitish Kumar’. However, these are not prominent political leaders from Bihar, but rather different independent candidates with the same names. 

An independent candidate named Lalu Prasad Yadav received 54 votes, while a candidate named Nitish Kumar received 88. Both candidates received fewer votes than NOTA. During the same period, NOTA received 391 votes.

This election was definitely in the news due to the similar names of the candidates, but it is clear from the counting data that the main contest remains between the candidates of Jan Suraj, BJP and RJD.

Why is the Bankipur contest special?

The Bankipur contest is considered significant because it is Prashant Kishor’s first direct election. After a long career as an election strategist for various political parties, PK is now reaching out to voters as a candidate himself. Therefore, the outcome of this election is considered crucial for his political future. 

The seat fell vacant after Nitin Naveen’s resignation.

The by-election for the Bankipur assembly seat was necessitated by the resignation of BJP leader Nitin Naveen. Naveen was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April, after which he resigned from the assembly. His resignation left the seat vacant and necessitated a by-election. 

This time, the BJP nominated Neeraj Kumar Sinha, a member of the Yuva Morcha. Meanwhile, the RJD has re-nominated Rekha Gupta. Gupta had previously contested the 2025 assembly elections against Nitin Naveen. She lost that election by a margin of over 50,000 votes.

Results under scrutiny amid low voter turnout

Voting for the Bankipur by-election took place on July 30. According to election data, the seat recorded a voter turnout of 34.30 percent, a decrease of nearly seven percent from the 41.45 percent turnout in the previous assembly elections.