Battle for Bankipur: PK eyes upset on new BJP chief’s turf

However, it is apparent that the RJD, the runner-up in the last two elections, is the clear loser in this bypoll. The party’s votes are likely to have shifted to Kishor, whom voters may have deemed to have more chance of defeating the BJP and some in the party are uneasy about the prospect of another strong political force entering the anti-BJP Opposition space. The RJD had earlier blamed the BJP for “propelling” the JSP to damage its chances.

For the BJP, a poor result in one of its traditional strongholds will present a major challenge as far as optics are concerned, as this bypoll has been held in the aftermath of the youth-led protests against NEET paper leaks. The party is already dealing with the fallout of those demonstrations, which forced the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister. The protests took place in various parts of Bihar too, including Patna, as the students and young job seekers hit the streets in support of the demonstrations in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and also faced a police crackdown. A political row erupted after a policeman in Siwan was accused of firing an AK-47 during the July 26 Bihar bandh.

A direct contest

On the day of voting, it was apparent that the contest had turned into a direct fight between the BJP and the JSP. While upper-caste-dominated pockets, including Kadamkuan, indicated consolidated voting for the BJP, Jakkanpur and other areas presented a more mixed response.

Tensions also flared between supporters of the two parties in several pockets. JSP and BJP workers led by Abhishek Bunty, who was forced to opt out of the bypoll and replaced by Sinha, clashed in the S K Nagar area of the constituency. In another incident near a polling booth in Anandpuri, former MLA and JSP leader Kishore Kumar Munna was shoved by BJP workers following a heated exchange.

While some voters admitted that Kishor, popularly known as PK, had closed the gap between him and the BJP, they felt it might not be enough to cause an upset. However, one voter claimed that the political strategist-turned-political leader had managed to dissolve “traditional boundaries of caste and religion” and such people in the electorate might be propelling the PK surge.

Bankipur, an urban Assembly segment in the heart of Patna, has long been regarded as an unassailable bastion for the BJP. Comprising key commercial hubs, residential areas, and diverse demographic pockets, the seat has historically seen consolidated upper-caste vote blocs and high middle-class voter turnouts to deliver decisive mandates for the BJP.

The bypoll serves as a critical bellwether for Bihar’s shifting political landscape. While the RJD has traditionally relied on its core Muslim-Yadav coalition to mount a challenge, Prashant Kishor’s JSP has injected unpredictability into the contest. By focusing heavily on grassroots organisation and attempting to bridge long-standing caste divides, the JSP’s campaign in Bankipur is a test of whether an unaligned third force can breach established party strongholds in urban Bihar.