BJP, RJD candidates file nominations for high-stakes Bankipur bypoll

BJP candidate Abhishek Kumar Sinha alias Bunty and RJD nominee Rekha Kumari alias Rekha Gupta filed their nomination papers for the July 30 Bankipur assembly by-election on Thursday. Both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan held massive rallies to showcase unity and launch their campaigns.

BJP candidate Abhishek Kumar Sinha alias Bunty and RJD nominee Rekha Kumari alias Rekha Gupta filed their nomination papers for the July 30 Bankipur assembly by-election on Thursday. Both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan held massive rallies to showcase unity and launch their campaigns.

Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhary with BJP candidate of Bankipur assembly constituency Abhishek Sinha Bunty, Deputy CM Vijay Choudhary and NDA leaders being garlanded during nomination meeting in Patna. (Santosh Kumar/ HT)

The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of BJP national president Nitin Nabin following his election to the Rajya Sabha. Counting of votes will be held on August 3, while the last date for filing nominations is July 13.

Before filing his nomination, Sinha offered prayers at the Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir in Krishnanagar and the Siddhidatri Jwala Temple, besides seeking his parents’ blessings.

Expressing confidence in the NDA’s prospects in the bypoll, Sinha said there was “no competition” as BJP workers remained active on the ground throughout the year.

“We are poised to win the election. There is no competition. BJP workers work on the ground all through the year. Nabin did a lot of work in this region when he was MLA. I am very grateful to the BJP leadership for providing me this big opportunity,” he told reporters before filing his nomination in Patna.

Addressing the gathering, Saraogi said Sinha’s candidature reflected the BJP’s tradition of promoting dedicated grassroots workers. He described Bankipur as a BJP stronghold and credited the NDA government for the constituency’s development over the past 15 years. Jha said Sinha was the NDA’s joint candidate and asserted that all five alliance partners were united behind him. Kushwaha expressed confidence that the NDA would register a decisive victory, while Paswan urged workers to intensify booth-level campaigning despite the alliance’s organisational strength.

RJD candidate Rekha Kumari, who finished runner-up in the 2025 Assembly election, filed her nomination after an ‘Aashirwad Sabha’ at the RJD state headquarters, attended by leaders of the Mahagathbandhan, including RJD, Congress, CPI, CPI(ML), CPI(M) and VIP.

Addressing the gathering, RJD state president Mangani Lal Mandal and other Mahagathbandhan leaders alleged that Bankipur had suffered from neglect in areas such as employment, education, healthcare, drainage and civic infrastructure, and appealed to voters to back Rekha Kumari for “development, social justice and people-centric politics”. The alliance leaders also resolved to intensify their booth-level campaign and door-to-door outreach ahead of the bypoll.

After filing her nomination, Kumari expressed confidence that the people of Bankipur would vote for change and said the ruling alliance would be “shown the mirror” in the bypoll. On Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, who is expected to file his nomination on July 13, she said every political party was free to contest elections.

The Bankipur constituency, formerly known as Patna West before the 2008 delimitation, has remained a BJP bastion for nearly three decades. It was represented by the late Naveen Kishore Prasad Sinha before Nitin Nabin won the seat in the 2006 by-election and retained it for five consecutive terms.