PATNA: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has announced that he will contest the upcoming by-election from Bihar’s Bankipur assembly constituency, marking his electoral debut.Speaking at a press conference in Patna on Sunday, the 48-year-old said the bypoll would serve as a “referendum” on the BJP-led government headed by chief minister Samrat Choudhary. The Bankipur seat fell vacant after BJP leader Nitin Nabin resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha.Announcing his candidature, Kishor appealed directly to voters in the constituency.“The people of Bankipur are the richest and the most educated in Bihar. Let them vote for the best. If they feel they can repose their trust in me, I urge them to vote for me… Even as the lone MLA of my party, I shall outweigh the remaining 242 ones in the assembly,” he said.Kishor also renewed his criticism of the BJP-led government, arguing that Samrat Choudhary assumed office without seeking a fresh mandate from the electorate.“The upcoming bypoll is going to be a referendum on the working of the two-month-old government of Samrat Choudhary. If the BJP wins, I will have no hesitation in conceding that they continue to enjoy public support. If we win, it shall be for them to read the writing on the wall,” he said.The Jan Suraaj chief had been signalling for weeks that he was considering entering the contest. He said the decision was formally approved by the party’s core committee after the Election Commission announced the bypoll schedule last week.The nomination process will begin on Monday and continue until July 13. Voting is scheduled for July 30, with the counting of votes set for August 3.The BJP, which has held the Bankipur seat since the 1990s, has not yet announced its candidate. The opposition alliance comprising the RJD, Congress and Left parties is also yet to declare its nominee.Meanwhile, former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who floated the Janshakti Janata Dal after being expelled from the RJD by his father Lalu Prasad, has fielded social activist Veena Manvi as the party’s candidate.
