The Bankipur bypoll, conducted on July 30, 2026, witnessed a voter turnout of just 34.30%, marking a decline of over seven percentage points from the 41.45% turnout recorded during the previous Assembly elections.
Counting commenced at 8 a.m. on August 3, 2026, in Patna, with the early results indicating a slight lead for debutant Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraaj Party over his BJP opponent, Neeraj Kumar Sinha. By 10:30 a.m., Kishor maintained his lead for three consecutive rounds of counting.
Officials reported that counting was conducted under stringent security measures. The current election saw a total of 26 candidates vying for the seat.
Background of the Contest
This election comes after the former MLA, Nabin, won the Assembly seat for the fifth time in November 2025, defeating Rekha Gupta of the RJD by a significant margin of over 50,000 votes.
Gupta has once again been nominated by the RJD for this bypoll, indicating the party’s determination to reclaim the seat. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor, who previously served as a prominent poll strategist, launched his party a few years back and is participating in his first election.
The BJP, on the other hand, has a long-standing stronghold in this constituency, having held the seat since 1995, when it was known as Patna West. Neeraj Kumar Sinha, a relatively low-profile youth wing leader, has been chosen by the party to contest in this election.
As the counting progresses, all eyes remain on whether Kishor can overturn BJP’s longstanding dominance in the Bankipur constituency.
