On Monday, July 13, 2026, Neeraj Kumar Sinha, the candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), submitted their nominations for the upcoming Bankipur assembly by-election. The event saw a strong presence of senior BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi, who were there to lend their support.
The vacancy for the Bankipur seat arose after Nitin Nabin’s election to the Rajya Sabha. Following the withdrawal of Abhishek Kumar alias Bunty from the race, Mr. Sinha was chosen as the BJP candidate on July 10.
Alliance Support and Candidate Background
Several leaders from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were present at the nomination event, including Umesh Singh Kushwaha, State President of Janata Dal (United), Raju Tiwari of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Anil Kumar from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Alok Kumar of Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
According to the affidavit filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI), Prashant Kishor and his wife, Jahanvi Das, possess a combined total of movable assets valued at ₹1,217,142,225. Specifically, Mr. Kishor has assets worth ₹22,19,74,976, while Ms. Das holds ₹99,51,67,249, which includes gold and silver jewelry.
Affidavit Details and Educational Background
In addition to their movable assets, Mr. Kishor has immovable assets valued at ₹73.87 crore and his wife has ₹12.42 crore. Their total liabilities are reported to be ₹5.77 crore for Mr. Kishor and ₹55.38 lakh for Ms. Das. The combined value of their assets amounts to ₹208,00,42,225.
Mr. Kishor holds a 100% stake in Vedhas Ventures Private Limited, which has made substantial donations—₹85 crore to the Jan Suraaj Party and ₹2.75 crore to the Joy of Giving Global Foundation, among others. He completed his post-graduate studies in Master of Healthcare Management in 2003 from the Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, and has also pursued specialized healthcare programs in collaboration with prestigious institutions.
Despite his commendable educational background, Mr. Kishor has eight pending criminal cases related to unlawful assembly, although he has not faced conviction for any of them.
Polling and Arrests
As of the time of this report, the BJP candidate’s affidavit had yet to be uploaded on the ECI website. Both candidates held a road show leading to the Patna Collectorate prior to filing nominations, with today being the final day for such submissions. Polling is set for July 30, with the counting of votes scheduled for August 3.
Separately, Vina Mandavi, the candidate from Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) and affiliated with Tej Pratap Yadav’s party, was arrested by Patna police shortly after filing her nomination due to an ongoing case against her.
