As per latest election trends in Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party's trusted candidate Krishna Kumar Rishi won from Purnia district’s Banmankhi assembly constituency with 1,22,494 votes, holding a significant margin of 45,296 votes over his nearest rival. Deo Narayan Rajak of the Indian National Congress trailed with 77,198 votes, while Manoj Kumar Rishi of the Jan Suraaj Party lagged far behind with 6,676 votes.
The seat was expected to witness a fierce triangular contest between the three candidates, however, data from the Election Commission of India indicated that Rishi emerged as a clear winner.
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Who is Krishna Kumar Rishi?
Krishna Kumar Rishi is Bharatiya Janata Party’s safest bet for the SC-reserved Banmankhi assembly, who has also won the seat in 2020, 2015, 2010 and the two Bihar assembly polls in 2005. With Rishi, BJP aims to continue its winning streak in Purnia district’s Banmankhi.
Rishi, 49, has also served as Bihar’s tourism minister in the Nitish Kumar-led cabinet.
According to Rishi’s affidavit, he is not facing any criminal cases as of now, while he had two criminal cases filed against him during the 2020 Bihar assembly polls, and six during the 2015 assembly polls.
{{/usCountry}}According to Rishi’s affidavit, he is not facing any criminal cases as of now, while he had two criminal cases filed against him during the 2020 Bihar assembly polls, and six during the 2015 assembly polls.
{{/usCountry}}Rishi has declared movable assets worth ₹1.17 crore and immovable assets worth around ₹1.32 crore.
What happened in previous polls?
In the 2020 Bihar assembly polls, Krishna Kumar Rishi defeated Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Upendra Sharma by 27,743 votes. Before that, in 2015, Rishi defeated Rashtriya Janata Dal ‘s Sanjiv Kumar Paswan in a very close contest, where Rishi won 59,053 or 35.82% of the total votes as against Paswan’s 58,345 or 35.39% votes.
About the constituency
Banmankhi is a SC-reserved seat in Bihar’s Purnia district in the Kosi-Seemanchal region. It will vote in the second phase of the 2025 Bihar assembly polls on November 11, along with 121 other assembly constituencies.
This seat is important as the BJP seeks to expand its Dalit support base against the RJD/Mahagathbandhan's attempt to consolidate SC votes. The result will influence the political alignment of the Dalit community in the region.