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The Election Commission of India began counting votes at 8 am on Monday for the Bankipur assembly byelection in Patna, Bihar.
The bypoll was triggered after former BJP MLA Nitin Nabin resigned from the seat following his transition to the Rajya Sabha.
The triangular contest features Neeraj Kumar Sinha of the BJP, Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraaj Party, and Rekha Gupta of the RJD.
The Election Commission of India begins counting votes at 8 am on Monday for the Bankipur assembly byelection, alongside Datia in Madhya Pradesh and Manjalpur in Gujarat.
Voter turnout registered at a low 34.24 per cent. This figure represents a drop of over seven per cent from the 41.45 per cent recorded in November last year.
The high-stakes byelection features a three-cornered fight, pitting Neeraj Kumar Sinha of the BJP against Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraaj Party and Rekha Gupta of the RJD.
High Stakes In Bankipur
The byelection is a significant contest for Kishor, who predicted a massive defeat for the ruling party in his electoral debut.
"The BJP will lose by such a big vote margin that they won't ever have the audacity to say that they can win even if they give election tickets to cats and dogs," Kishor said at a press conference in Patna.
RJD candidate Rekha Gupta expressed confidence in winning with the "support of people" who are "determined for change".
She dismissed Kishor as a mere social media phenomenon. Gupta also alleged that polling booth agents wearing BJP identity cards tried to influence voters.
A Historic BJP Stronghold
Bankipur, formerly known as Patna West, has been a BJP stronghold since 1995. The constituency was vacated recently after MLA Nitin Nabin moved to the Rajya Sabha.
In the November 2025 assembly elections, Nabin secured a dominant victory. He won with 98,299 votes to capture a 62.66 per cent vote share. The BJP defeated the RJD by a victory margin of 51,936 votes.
Rekha Kumari of the RJD secured 46,363 votes for a 29.55 per cent share, while Vandana Kumari of the JSP finished third with 7,717 votes and a 4.92 per cent share.
Police Detention Controversy
Kishor and the JSP filed a formal complaint with the ECI. They accused Patna police of "illegally detaining" 54 party leaders and supporters allegedly at the behest of the BJP.
These detentions took place during the 48-hour silence period leading up to Thursday's voting.
The Patna Senior Superintendent of Police said the detained individuals were outsiders. Kishor countered by presenting evidence that they were locals who did not violate Section 144 of CrPC (now Section 163 of the BNSS).
In response to the formal complaint filed on August 1, 2026, Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, took cognizance of the allegations and ordered an immediate inquiry into the conduct of Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma. The CEO's office assured the Jan Suraaj Party that strict action would be taken against those found responsible once the investigation report is received. By August 2, 2026, the CEO's office and the Bihar Director General of Police had assured the party that SSP Sharma would be completely excluded from any role in the vote-counting process during the August 3 counting of the Bankipur assembly byelection.
