Bankipur By-Election: High Stakes For Nitin Nabin & Samrat Choudhry
July 30th Bankipur assembly by poll in Bihar is going to be a real acid test for both BJP President Nitin Nabin and Chief Minister Samrat Choudhry. Here, poll strategist turned politician Prashant Kishore is making his political debut. Of the 3.69 lakh voters in the constituency, Gen Z constitute 1.25 lakh voters.
Patna: It is a real personal prestige for the BJP President Nitin Nabin, who resigned to Bankipur assembly seat after he got elected to rajya sabha, and hence it is a must win for the party candidate Neeraj Sinha, who is pitted against Jan suraj candidate Prashant Kishore.
Not only for party chief Nabin, but also for the Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhry, since it is his first election after he took over as CM in April. So more prestige is at stake for both. A defeat could dent the image of both the leaders.
A Victory, on the other hand, could put a stamp on Samrat's authority as CM and strengthen Nitin's standing as party chief.
More so because this is the first election in the last 20 years where Nitish Kumar is not in the picture as Bihar CM. It was his "good governance with social justice and development" plank that has so far helped the NDA reap rich political dividends in Bihar.
The Bypoll will also prove how the people of the state have reacted to Nitish's absence from the CM post. Political circles feel that the victory of the BJP candidate is not easy since poll strategist Prashant Kishore of Jan suraj is trying his luck. His party lost all the seats it contested in the November 2025 assembly elections.
But much water has flown down the Ganga since November 2025. PK, as Prashant Kishore is fondly known, is personally contesting at a time when there is deep anger among the students against the ruling dispensation. Gen Z, which recently hit the streets across the country against paper leaks.
Of the 3.69 lakh voters in Bankipur, Gen Z comprises 1.25 lakh and may swing the balance either way in the caste-ridden constituency, thereby upsetting the political calculations.
