Shatrughan Sinha urges people to support Prashant Kishor in Bankipur by-election

Patna: With Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor set to make his electoral debut in the upcoming by-election from Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly seat, Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday extended his support to him, appealing to voters to back him irrespective of caste, religion, or political affiliation.

In a post on social media, Shatrughan Sinha, a former MP from Bihar’s Patna Saheb, described Kishor’s decision to contest the Bankipur by-election as a major political development.

He wrote that Kishor is the most capable, visionary, and brilliant intellectual; a leader of the masses; and a personality who is widely liked, appreciated, and constantly in the limelight.

According to Sinha, Prashant Kishor’s entry into the electoral arena has generated significant excitement in Bihar’s political circles and attracted attention across the country.

Expressing his support for the Jan Suraaj chief, he urged people, particularly young voters, to rise above traditional political and social divisions.

“Unity is the need of the hour. It is my hope, wish, and prayer that the common people — and especially the youth — will rise above the barriers of caste, religion, and party to support him. Jai Bihar, Jai Hind,” Sinha said.

The Bankipur by-election will mark the first election that Kishor contests as a candidate.

The Jan Suraaj Party has fielded its founder for the July 30 bypoll, presenting the contest as an important test of the party’s political strength.

Political observers, however, believe the contest will be challenging for Kishor.

In the 2025 Assembly election, the Jan Suraaj candidate secured around 7,000 votes in the constituency, indicating the organisational challenge the party faces in the urban BJP stronghold.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has once again nominated Rekha Gupta as its candidate for the by-election.

Her candidature was announced by RJD state President Mangni Lal Mandal on Monday.

In the 2025 Assembly election, Rekha Gupta finished second with more than 46,000 votes but lost to BJP candidate (and now party President) Nitin Nabin by a margin of over 52,000 votes.

With Kishor making his electoral debut, the RJD banking on its previous runner-up candidate, and the BJP announcing Abhishek Kumar, a close aide of Nitin Nabin, as its nominee, the Bankipur by-election is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched political contests in Bihar.

IANS