Patna: With nominations over and candidates fanning out across the constituency, the contest for the July 30 Bankipur byelection formally entered campaign mode on Tuesday. While BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor hit the campaign trail, the nomination papers of Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) candidate Vina Mandavi were rejected during scrutiny, narrowing the field in one of the state’s most closely watched electoral contests.Prashant, who is making his electoral debut, campaigned in different localities during the day. RJD has fielded Rekha Gupta, while Vina was arrested and later released in connection with an old case after filing her nomination papers on Monday.Of the 57 nomination papers filed for the byelection, 18, including those of Vina and independent candidate Priyanshu Raj, were rejected.The contest has drawn considerable attention with the BJP fielding a relatively lesser-known mandal president against poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant, whose entry into electoral politics has added a new dimension to the race.BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who represented Bankipur for two decades before being elected to the Rajya Sabha in April, chaired a meeting of NDA functionaries and the party’s women’s wing to review booth-level preparations. State presidents of the NDA’s constituent parties attended the meeting.While Prashant spent the day outlining his vision of developing Bankipur along the lines of Bengaluru, Nitin highlighted the projects and welfare schemes implemented in the constituency during his tenure as MLA and minister.Expressing confidence in his party’s choice, Nitin said he was happy that the BJP had given a mandal president an opportunity to represent Bankipur.“I hope that Neeraj will receive the blessings of the people of Bankipur and will serve them like him. My responsibility is to stand firmly with the people of my constituency,” he said.Nitin also inaugurated the BJP’s election office in Kidwaipuri on Tuesday evening. Addressing party workers, BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi said they had entered the contest with enthusiasm and commitment.CM Samrat Choudhary had visited Nitin’s residence on Monday evening to discuss the state’s political situation, including the byelection. Although the BJP has held the seat since 1995, the party appears determined to leave nothing to chance.Commenting on the contest, former minister and RJD functionary Shivanand Tiwari said the BJP’s indecision over candidate selection had worked to Prashant’s advantage. He also questioned RJD’s strategy, saying the party had fielded the same candidate who lost the previous election.“The party’s top leadership (Tejashwi Prasad Yadav) failed to prioritise its candidate’s campaign and preferred to go abroad. Politics is a game not just of organisation, but also of psychology. This assembly constituency is said to the most enlightened voters,” he said.The BJP had replaced its original nominee, Abhishek Kumar Sinha ‘Bunty’, after he had filed his nomination papers.
