Nitish Kumar joins BJP's Bankipur push as Prashant Kishor turns up poll heat
Nitish Kumar's appeal comes as the NDA pushes to consolidate support in BJP bastion Bankipur as Prashant Kishor's aggressive challenge and the RJD's intensified campaign have made the bypoll far more competitive.
With just days left for polling in the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, the BJP has brought former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the campaign frontline in a clear indication that the NDA is taking no chances in retaining one of its safest urban constituencies.
Kumar on Tuesday released a video message appealing directly to voters to support NDA candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, as the contest has become more intense than the BJP had initially anticipated. The rival candidate, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, is mounting an aggressive challenge and the RJD is also stepping up its campaign.
Addressing voters of the Bankipur Assembly constituency, Kumar said, "With your trust, cooperation and blessings, we have worked over the past two decades to ensure good governance and fulfil our resolve of building a developed Bihar. To continue this journey, every single one of your votes is important." He appealed to voters to bless NDA's young candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha and cast their vote for the Lotus symbol on polling day.
Nitish Kumar's appeal comes as the BJP is determined to consolidate the NDA's support base in a constituency it has dominated for decades. The JD(U)-BJP alliance has largely projected the election as a test of its governance record.
The bypoll was necessitated after five-time BJP MLA Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha and subsequent appointment as the BJP's national president. Despite taking charge of the party at the national level, Nabin has remained deeply involved in the campaign, conducting door-to-door outreach and public meetings while urging voters to back the BJP candidate.
Bankipur has long been one of the BJP's strongest constituencies in Bihar. In a state where the party got the opportunity to head the government only recently, the urban seat has consistently returned BJP candidates with comfortable margins for decades. That track record initially gave the party confidence that the bypoll would be a straightforward affair.
However, the political equation changed with Prashant Kishor deciding to contest from Bankipur. The Jan Suraaj founder had begun campaigning in the constituency months before the Election Commission announced the bypoll schedule, spending considerable time building his organisation and interacting with residents.
A former election strategist who has worked for leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, Kishor is treating the bypoll as an opportunity to revive Jan Suraaj after the party failed to win a single seat in last year's Assembly elections.
Throughout his campaign, Kishor has projected the election as a referendum on the BJP-led government in Bihar. He has repeatedly argued that a victory for Jan Suraaj would send a political message to the NDA leadership without threatening the stability of the government, which enjoys a comfortable majority in the Assembly.
He has also sharpened his attack on Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, raising questions over governance, unemployment, corruption and recent law-and-order incidents while attempting to appeal across caste and community lines.
The BJP, meanwhile, has had to overcome an unexpected hurdle in candidate selection. The party first announced Abhishek Kumar "Bunty" as its nominee before replacing him with Neeraj Kumar Sinha, after Bunty withdrew from the race citing family reasons a day after filing his nomination papers. The opposition seized on the development to question the BJP's preparedness, but the party quickly rallied behind Sinha.
Sinha, a BJP youth leader and a member of the Kayastha community like Nitin Nabin, has urged voters to continue supporting the party that has represented Bankipur for decades.
The NDA has also deployed an extensive list of senior campaigners, including Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Nityanand Rai, Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari, Pawan Singh and Maithili Thakur. Nitish Kumar's appeal now adds another influential face to the BJP's campaign in the constituency.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal has also intensified its efforts, with Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav campaigning for party candidate Rekha Gupta. The recent student protests in Bihar over examination-related issues and the subsequent police action have also emerged as campaign issues, with opposition parties targeting the NDA government while the ruling alliance has defended its record.
Although Bankipur remains a traditional BJP bastion, party leaders privately acknowledge that Kishor has emerged as the principal challenger, making the contest far more competitive than initially expected.
With just days left for polling in the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, the BJP has brought former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the campaign frontline in a clear indication that the NDA is taking no chances in retaining one of its safest urban constituencies.
Kumar on Tuesday released a video message appealing directly to voters to support NDA candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, as the contest has become more intense than the BJP had initially anticipated. The rival candidate, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, is mounting an aggressive challenge and the RJD is also stepping up its campaign.
Addressing voters of the Bankipur Assembly constituency, Kumar said, "With your trust, cooperation and blessings, we have worked over the past two decades to ensure good governance and fulfil our resolve of building a developed Bihar. To continue this journey, every single one of your votes is important." He appealed to voters to bless NDA's young candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha and cast their vote for the Lotus symbol on polling day.
Nitish Kumar's appeal comes as the BJP is determined to consolidate the NDA's support base in a constituency it has dominated for decades. The JD(U)-BJP alliance has largely projected the election as a test of its governance record.
The bypoll was necessitated after five-time BJP MLA Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha and subsequent appointment as the BJP's national president. Despite taking charge of the party at the national level, Nabin has remained deeply involved in the campaign, conducting door-to-door outreach and public meetings while urging voters to back the BJP candidate.
Bankipur has long been one of the BJP's strongest constituencies in Bihar. In a state where the party got the opportunity to head the government only recently, the urban seat has consistently returned BJP candidates with comfortable margins for decades. That track record initially gave the party confidence that the bypoll would be a straightforward affair.
However, the political equation changed with Prashant Kishor deciding to contest from Bankipur. The Jan Suraaj founder had begun campaigning in the constituency months before the Election Commission announced the bypoll schedule, spending considerable time building his organisation and interacting with residents.
A former election strategist who has worked for leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, Kishor is treating the bypoll as an opportunity to revive Jan Suraaj after the party failed to win a single seat in last year's Assembly elections.
Throughout his campaign, Kishor has projected the election as a referendum on the BJP-led government in Bihar. He has repeatedly argued that a victory for Jan Suraaj would send a political message to the NDA leadership without threatening the stability of the government, which enjoys a comfortable majority in the Assembly.
He has also sharpened his attack on Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, raising questions over governance, unemployment, corruption and recent law-and-order incidents while attempting to appeal across caste and community lines.
The BJP, meanwhile, has had to overcome an unexpected hurdle in candidate selection. The party first announced Abhishek Kumar "Bunty" as its nominee before replacing him with Neeraj Kumar Sinha, after Bunty withdrew from the race citing family reasons a day after filing his nomination papers. The opposition seized on the development to question the BJP's preparedness, but the party quickly rallied behind Sinha.
Sinha, a BJP youth leader and a member of the Kayastha community like Nitin Nabin, has urged voters to continue supporting the party that has represented Bankipur for decades.
The NDA has also deployed an extensive list of senior campaigners, including Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Nityanand Rai, Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari, Pawan Singh and Maithili Thakur. Nitish Kumar's appeal now adds another influential face to the BJP's campaign in the constituency.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal has also intensified its efforts, with Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav campaigning for party candidate Rekha Gupta. The recent student protests in Bihar over examination-related issues and the subsequent police action have also emerged as campaign issues, with opposition parties targeting the NDA government while the ruling alliance has defended its record.
Although Bankipur remains a traditional BJP bastion, party leaders privately acknowledge that Kishor has emerged as the principal challenger, making the contest far more competitive than initially expected.
With just days left for polling in the high-stakes Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar, the BJP has brought former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the campaign frontline in a clear indication that the NDA is taking no chances in retaining one of its safest urban constituencies.
Kumar on Tuesday released a video message appealing directly to voters to support NDA candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, as the contest has become more intense than the BJP had initially anticipated. The rival candidate, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, is mounting an aggressive challenge and the RJD is also stepping up its campaign.
Addressing voters of the Bankipur Assembly constituency, Kumar said, "With your trust, cooperation and blessings, we have worked over the past two decades to ensure good governance and fulfil our resolve of building a developed Bihar. To continue this journey, every single one of your votes is important." He appealed to voters to bless NDA's young candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha and cast their vote for the Lotus symbol on polling day.
Nitish Kumar's appeal comes as the BJP is determined to consolidate the NDA's support base in a constituency it has dominated for decades. The JD(U)-BJP alliance has largely projected the election as a test of its governance record.
The bypoll was necessitated after five-time BJP MLA Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha and subsequent appointment as the BJP's national president. Despite taking charge of the party at the national level, Nabin has remained deeply involved in the campaign, conducting door-to-door outreach and public meetings while urging voters to back the BJP candidate.
Bankipur has long been one of the BJP's strongest constituencies in Bihar. In a state where the party got the opportunity to head the government only recently, the urban seat has consistently returned BJP candidates with comfortable margins for decades. That track record initially gave the party confidence that the bypoll would be a straightforward affair.
However, the political equation changed with Prashant Kishor deciding to contest from Bankipur. The Jan Suraaj founder had begun campaigning in the constituency months before the Election Commission announced the bypoll schedule, spending considerable time building his organisation and interacting with residents.
A former election strategist who has worked for leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, Kishor is treating the bypoll as an opportunity to revive Jan Suraaj after the party failed to win a single seat in last year's Assembly elections.
Throughout his campaign, Kishor has projected the election as a referendum on the BJP-led government in Bihar. He has repeatedly argued that a victory for Jan Suraaj would send a political message to the NDA leadership without threatening the stability of the government, which enjoys a comfortable majority in the Assembly.
He has also sharpened his attack on Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, raising questions over governance, unemployment, corruption and recent law-and-order incidents while attempting to appeal across caste and community lines.
The BJP, meanwhile, has had to overcome an unexpected hurdle in candidate selection. The party first announced Abhishek Kumar "Bunty" as its nominee before replacing him with Neeraj Kumar Sinha, after Bunty withdrew from the race citing family reasons a day after filing his nomination papers. The opposition seized on the development to question the BJP's preparedness, but the party quickly rallied behind Sinha.
Sinha, a BJP youth leader and a member of the Kayastha community like Nitin Nabin, has urged voters to continue supporting the party that has represented Bankipur for decades.
The NDA has also deployed an extensive list of senior campaigners, including Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Nityanand Rai, Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari, Pawan Singh and Maithili Thakur. Nitish Kumar's appeal now adds another influential face to the BJP's campaign in the constituency.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal has also intensified its efforts, with Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav campaigning for party candidate Rekha Gupta. The recent student protests in Bihar over examination-related issues and the subsequent police action have also emerged as campaign issues, with opposition parties targeting the NDA government while the ruling alliance has defended its record.
Although Bankipur remains a traditional BJP bastion, party leaders privately acknowledge that Kishor has emerged as the principal challenger, making the contest far more competitive than initially expected.
